The Globe and Mail will become the first advertiser to appear in the online streaming of the sixth season of HGTV’s Holmes on Homes. The first of the Globe‘s appearances on the online version of the show is set to debut on Oct. 24. The national paper is working with Alliance Atlantis’ internal agency, D71, to develop a streaming ad of about eight seconds, along with a two-to-three-second stinger and banner ads on www.hgtv.ca/microsites/holmesonhomes.
The Globe‘s ad will appear as an interruption in the online streaming of the show, along with banner ads, but there will be no 30-second traditional broadcast spots on the show – which kicked off its sixth broadcast season on-air on Oct. 5 (8 p.m. ET/PT). On Oct. 9, the fall season began streaming online without ads. Throughout the season of 13 episodes, ads will stream for one week following the on-air broadcast. Host Mike Holmes also began writing a column for the newspaper at the beginning of October.
Alliance Atlantis VP integrated sales Greg McLelland says his team, which is ‘responsible for selling everything but the 30-second broadcast spot,’ have received positive responses from all of the show’s broadcast advertisers. The problem to overcome is that ‘many of them don’t necessarily have the proper ad units, the 8-10 second online segments,’ ready to hit the broadband waves with the streaming show. Still, Alliance Atlantis is close to signing similar ‘bundled’ integration deals with about 10 other major brands for exposure through HGTV, the Food Network, and some others in its line-up of 13 specialty channels.
Online streaming is another option for advertisers looking to buy various forms of brand integration with Alliance Atlantis broadcast offerings, from host integration to product placement opportunities. McLelland says the communications giant is ‘taking whatever assets we have on-air into the online world.’
But the move has its challenges. Research and focus groups were held to determine what’s acceptable to viewers looking for online content, and the 8-10 second online spot was found to sit well with participants. Pricing is another matter. McLelland was not willing to divulge the cost of the Globe‘s deal. He says pricing for online streaming is a challenge to experiment with, depending on what other elements are included in an advertiser’s campaign, and will not be standardized ‘until we get some case studies.’
Alliance Atlantis SVP Digital Media Claude Galipeau says the sixth season of Holmes on Homes marks the first time the communications giant has streamed a complete season of a flagship show online. ‘Our users have indicated a strong affinity towards watching online video, and streaming a flagship show like Holmes on Homes on the HGTV.ca website will provide our audience with access to premium content in a highly-palatable medium, on demand,’ he says.
