Most commentators predict that the final frontier of broadband internet is the opportunity to view popular TV shows like 'Desperate Housewives' from the comfort of your PC.
Well, that only appeals if, like me, you're genetically connected to your PC in the first place and want to watch the latest episode of 'The Sopranos' and don't want to wait for it to be screened on terrestrial TV.
Now that's cool, isn't?
In fact, there's a stack of video-on-demand content on the internet if you can be bothered to look for it. And it's not all adult porn, although media owners can only look on and wonder at the vast online profits being made out of this grubby business.
In the US, the clean-living Walt Disney Company has just announced it's going to make 'Desperate Housewives', 'Commander in Chief', 'Lost' and other shows available to view free and on-demand after they've been broadcast on the cable TV network.
Sound's great. Except there's a catch.
Viewers will be forced to watch commercials that they can't skip on their keyboard. Yes, I did say forced!
It's hardly an occasion for dancing in the street but some marketing commentators think it's the best thing since sliced bread.
"Disney appears to have solved the conundrum of how to counter the ad-skipping threat of personal video recorders (PVRs) and how to satisfy increasing consumer expectation for free entertainment online."
Oh yeah? No kidding.
The findings contained in Marketing in the Information Economies of Europe, published in January 2006 by The Future Foundation () tell a very different story:
* The volume of marketing messages continues to increase and multi-channel considerations are more important than ever;
* Consumers have embraced the choice available to them but want help navigating it;
* Increasing cynicism and decreasing impact of traditional advertising against the rise of simultaneous media usage;
* Brand owners must look beyond their traditional role as broadcasters of messages and provide information, verification and authority;
* Brand communication is increasingly multi-dimensional and multi-directional;
* Brand owners must pinpoint exactly when and why consumers seek or are open to brand communication.
The idea that a media owner like ABC can lock a viewer into watching a commercial online when they would choose to skip the ads when recording a programme off-air is seriously flawed.
For one thing, permission is one of the greatest forces for change in marketing and communications in the last 10 years.
Earning the permission of the viewer is now paramount for almost any type of brand communication activity. In fact, viewers can soon expect to be paid for watching commercials.
Second, although research in the US by Points North Group (2006) shows limited consumer acceptance of this technique for funding programming on broadband internet, it's a mistake to think this situation won't change.
It's likely other models that avoid interrupting content, such as sponsorship, could become more acceptable to online viewers in the future.
Third, when brands start owning their own interactive channels (i-channels) they'll no doubt be interested in acquiring the rights to broadcast popular shows on these channels -- ad-free.
Band owners need to rethink about rewiring their communication channels with these audiences if they're going to stand a chance of getting their messages across.
And ultimately, it's for viewers to decide what's acceptable behaviour in their personal space.
Ardi Kolah is a brand communication consultant specialising in sponsorship and is independently ranked in the top 50 thinkers in the world on marketing by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. His new report, Sponsorship: Strategies for Maximising Return on Investment is to be published shortly by .
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .