NBC thinks it has come up with a new way to get people to sit through blocks of commercials: Break up the ads with minimovies. "The Pussycat Dolls" is one of NBC's minimovies that the network plans to show. Nothing like fishnets and cleavage to keep 'em in line eh?
Starting in the fall, NBC will begin interspersing the primarily minute-long movies among the commercials accompanying its prime-time shows. The intention, NBC executives said, is to keep viewers so entertained that they do not dart away, and perhaps stay with NBC the entire night to catch the conclusion of the minimovie. ... Driving the networks' efforts is the fear that the remote-control zapping that has led viewers to flee during commercials will soon turn to outright avoidance, as personal recording devices like TiVo become more popular. This concern has also spurred a wave of so-called product placement, in which marketers pay to display their wares on the program itself. ... NBC has produced 10 one-minute movies so far, and has attracted stars like Michael Richards (providing the voice of a character in Claymation) and Carmen Electra. Some minimovies are built around suspense plots, or have black-comedy denouements, not unlike some old episodes of "The Twilight Zone." Read full NY Times article
