One of the most enthusiastic supporters of the new generation of advertiser-funded programmes is the Ford Motor Company. It has produced a series called No Boundaries, which is set to debut on the Warner Bros network in March. The programme is designed to showcase its line of sport-utility vehicles. It has plans to develop another series, which will feature its Thunderbird car.
The deal echos the one signed by Unilever in the UK during 2000 when it signed Europe's biggest advertiser-supplied programming deal, paying around £6.9m for the rights to the film library of Columbia Tristar, which the advertiser swapped for airtime on Channel 5.
That deal, which is set to last several years, gave Channel 5 the UK broadcast rights to more than 100 Hollywood movies, including In the Line of Fire, Sleepless in Seattle and Philadelphia. In return, Unilever secured further airtime on the channel and underlined its new strategy for a more creative approach to advertising and media buying.
The deal was structured by Edwin Sharpe, the media controller at Unilever; the advertiser-funded programming specialist, Malcolm Grant Associates; Channel 5; and Unilever's media agency, Initiative Media.
According to Rob Donnell of J Walter Thompson, which is behind Ford's move into programming, he sensed a sea change in the attitude of the US networks and was amazed by people's willingness to write Ford into scripts. Talking to the LA Times, he said: "I've had to remind them to keep it entertaining. If it's an infomercial, the audience will walk."
Another advertiser is Coca-Cola, which is creating its own TV drama called Stepping Stones. Featuring Broadway and movie actor Gregory Hines, it will air on NBC during the summer season. The programme features a multi-ethnic, multigenerational cast that Coke wants its brand to represent.
Advertising executives say that the involvement of advertisers will mean their messages, although more soft sell, are less easily avoided by viewers who channel surf or use devices to record TV shows and automatically cut out advertising.
However, others in the television business warn against the trend. Irwin Gotlieb, CEO of MindShare, told the LA Times: "We will be making a terrible mistake if we put shows on air just because an advertiser is willing to finance them. We have to give the viewers what they want to watch, not what we want them to watch."
Some television producers have welcomed the trend as ad revenues continue to decline. However, in the same report in the LA Times, CBS president of advertising sales Joe Abruzzese said he was not interested in making such shows unless the advertiser buys all the associated airtime, saying: "Their hidden agenda is saving money."
The move takes American television back to its formative years, where companies frequently produced TV shows. The return of advertisers to programming reflects the rising costs of producing television. The way for advertisers to have a higher profile was blazed by the increasing and commonplace acceptance of product placement.
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