Space on the ‘Star Trek’ channel
So here’s the basic concept: Cable television sells access to viewers and its only salable product is time.
That’s why companies readily pay $7 million (not counting ad development) to reach 124 million customers for 30 seconds during the Super Bowl.
For months, the aptly named Pluto Channel has broadcast episodes of “Star Trek” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Pluto intersperses advertising between show segments and apparently doesn’t sell enough sponsorships to fill the available time.
Hence lengthy chunks of dead space tempt viewers with “We’ll be right back!” messaging, numbing “space-like” visuals and hopes you’ll stick around.
It’s a lost opportunity!
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Watching one 60-minute block on this channel, I found the following:
45.5 minutes of “Star Trek.”
3 minutes of paid advertising.
11.25 minutes of dead space.
15 seconds of station identification.
I also made these assumptions:
Streaming TV ads average $35/thousand impressions, depending on how targeted you want to get in reaching viewers. Candace Souleles (CNS Communications) suggests lower rates, while available, may have you airing your ads on low quality and/or controversial programming.
Ads are 15 or 30 seconds long.
The results of my test are consistent around the clock.
These figures work out to a cost of 7 cents per sales impression per minute.
Pluto reports 33.3 million active users in the US, meaning it’s losing $2.33 million for each minute of dead space it airs. 270 dead minutes daily translates to 98,550 minutes of wasted broadcast time and a breathtaking annual loss of $230 BILLION!
Stockholders of corporate overlord Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS), which bought Pluto for $340 million six years ago, may be understandably upset. Six years should have been enough time for the denizens of Pluto to have gotten their act together.
Remember, Pluto only has time to sell, and if it doesn’t fill it with something, it’s been wasted. It’s arguably better off selling that extra time at a discount, using it for self-promotional purposes or donating it to charitable groups.
I, for one, would rather see dogs up for adoption at area shelters than an endless stream of faux space images.
Such a strategy would provide good publicity, (arguably) generate tax benefits and help improve a few lives.
Indeed, any one of these approaches would boost viewer engagement, enhance ad revenues, strengthen brand identity and help viewers feel they’re not just killing time.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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