With increased penetration of digital video recorders (DVR) and personal video recorders (PVR) in UK homes, a new breed of advertising has been developed to tackle the problem of people fast-forwarding through the break.

The new clips are specifically designed to be viewed at up to 12 times the normal speed and feature more lingering shots of brands, logos and well known characters such as Alexandr Orlov - from the Compare the Market campaign - to ensure sufficient exposure

In 2005, the growth of home DVR and PVR systems grabbed the headlines when it was reported that there were concerns over the detrimental effects of fast forwarding and the effectiveness of the 30” television spot. However, Sky’s own panel research ‘Skyview’ revealed that overall TV viewing had increased as a result of owning such technology and the impact of DVRs and PVRs should not be seen as a threat to the market.

Paul Lee, director of technology, media and telecoms at Deloitte, explains: “When people are fast forwarding, they are actually paying closer attention because they want to ensure they do not miss the resumption of the TV show”. This is particularly useful for sponsorship, where a ‘commercial break literate’ viewer will use the sponsor credit as a focus point for when to resume normal viewing.

MEC Opinion: The way we watch television is always evolving, with new developments in advertising formats constantly being introduced. It will be interesting to monitor the take-up of these new ‘fast forward proof’ ads but, needless to say, advertisers will still need to build brand identity with viewers at ‘normal’ speed first.

Sky’s latest Skyview research shows that total PVR penetration in the UK is currently at about 20 per cent, with 6.4 million homes using Sky+, 3.1 million Freeview+ users and 0.8 million homes with a Virgin+ box – so it is clear there could be a market for this new format.