News Corp’s FX television channel, designed for men, is planning on developing the first advertisement campaign directed to counter viewers who use digital recorders (TiVo) to skip past commercials. These digital recorders show only one still image ad as a viewer fast forwards past commericals. The FX series ‘Brotherhood’ will show a single still ad image for their 30 second ad slot. The unique thing about this is most viewers will stick around for 30 seconds rather than a 2 1/2 minute session of commercials. That 30 second spot instills more in a viewers mind for that particular product than a quick 30 second commercial with multiple messages flashing back and forth.

Ever increasingly, as more and more television viewers purchase digital recorders to bypass commercials, advertisers have been looking for ways to get their messages to consumers as television advertising accounts for approximately 46% of all corporate advertising. Television broadcasters and corporate advertisers are both faced with this difficult dilemma and fears are rising with the digital recorder trend. FX will challenge digital recorders when it airs the ‘Brotherhood’ episode and 30 second still image commercial spot to show what it is like for broadcasters and advertisers. The offical air date is during the last week of September.