And Now a Word From Our Sponsor. Our Only Sponsor.

[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
First on radio and then on television, the phrases "And now a word from our sponsor" and "Brought to you by ..." were as commonplace as canned laughter. Shows even saluted their advertiser patrons by name, from "The Bell Telephone Hour" to "Magnavox Theater" to "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse." But by the late 1950's, rising costs along with concerns about control over programming produced profound change. Advertisers shifted from sole sponsorships to buying commercials one spot at a time all over the network schedules. Now, as Madison Avenue anxiously seeks ways to catch the attention of jaded, distracted consumers, the idea of sponsorship and similar forms of advertising exclusivity is gaining favor again. And in a contemporary twist, the concept is spreading to new media like podcasting, so-called online Webisodes and mobisodes, which play on mobile phones. Sponsorships offer a marketer a chance to convince consumers that "a brand adds value to the viewing experience," said one sponsor, by providing benefits that could not be offered if the brand was, say, 1 of the 16 shown in the eight minutes of commercials in a 30-minute program.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/05/business/media/05adcol.html?pagewanted...
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