Online broadcasters Hulu and TV.com are charging more for commercials online than during traditional network showings. Television advertisers usually pay $20 to $40 per thousand viewers. Hulu charges $60 per thousand viewers for a commercial during online broadcasts of “The Simpsons“. It makes sense given the rise of home digital video recorders that allow viewers to easily skip over all advertising. Online viewers are much more of a captive audience and thus more likely to actually watch the commercial.
Also, ads watched online are more likely to be remembered since there are much fewer compared to traditional broadcasting. Hopefully, this will help expand the amount of programs that are available online. I’m more than willing to sit thought a few ads to have the luxury of watching programs online whenever I feel like it.