Advertising coming to on-demand Viiv content

On-demand content delivered to your Intel Viiv-enabled media centre PC could soon be accompanied by advertisements, thanks to an alliance between Intel and Omnicom Media Group (OMG).

The two companies on Tuesday announced "a collaboration to develop '10 foot' or large screen advertising templates for Internet-delivered advertising to TVs connected to Intel Viiv technology-based computers."

However, according to Stephanie Silvester, digital home brand manager at Intel, the collaboration is in very early stages, and "no time frame has been confirmed" surrounding when ads will begin to appear.

"From design to testing, this effort could span multiple months," added Silvester.

The advertisements won't be limited to traditional banners, either.

"A number of different models from pre-roll video to interactive ads will be tested for user preference and ad message effectiveness and weighed against more conventional vehicles," according to Silvester.

Silvester said that the introduction of an ad-driven revenue model for Viiv will be beneficial to consumers, as it will create additional incentives for content providers to bring their offerings to Viiv, as well as offer "highly targeted" and "relevant" advertising.

Users of Viiv-certified media centre PCs can access the current array of on-demand content through the "Online Spotlight" menu. Much of the content can be had free-of-charge, but pay-per-use and subscription-based downloads are also available.