Digital product placement alters TV landscape

[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Steve Gorman]
Blending brand names and products into television shows, as opposed to traditional ads that run during commercial breaks, has gained greater currency in recent years as the television industry faces the rising popularity of TiVo and other devices that let viewers skip commercials. But some industry experts suggest that product placement -- digital or otherwise -- has limited value in delivering a commercial message. Hollywood producers and writers also have raised concerns about their work being turned into virtual infomercials, and consumer activists have fretted about blurring the line between entertainment content and advertising.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2006-02-26T165858Z_01_N26385839_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIZFEATURE-DIGITAL-ADVER...