Sky to launch long-form ad service

Tue, 28 Apr 2009

Sky is launching an on-demand ad service that will allow viewers to watch long-form advertising.

The first advertisers to sign up to the Green Button service include T-Mobile, Warner Bros for its movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (pictured), and Fox for its movie Ice Age 3.

The service, which is accessed through the green button on Sky remote controls, will launch in June.

Viewers will be able to watch extended versions of ads or book content to view later. Green Button content could potentially range from two minutes to two hours.

Viewers will also be able to find out more about particular products or services and access related behind-the-scenes or exclusive footage.

The service will initially roll out across 50 channels in the Sky Media portfolio. It will sit alongside its existing Red Button service which offers viewers content upon request and is positioned as a more interactive ad platform.

Chloe Smith, Sky Media head of interactive advertising, says: “Green Button provides brands with the opportunity to develop high-quality long-form content catering to those audiences who want a closer relationship with particular brands, or who value access to exclusive content which has been developed or funded by an advertiser.”