Product ads gain more screen time

Advertisers are inserting themselves more deeply into TV shows than anyone thought possible just four or five years ago. The practice of product placement - in which advertisers pay to have their products or logos appear on screen during a program - has been intensifying for years. Even so, TV networks were once more vigilant about how much screen time they'd give advertisers during most dramas or comedies for fear of offending viewers. Now media outlets are loosening their restrictions. The result? Eye-popping appearances by advertisers in places where viewers would normally expect to see story line and character development. The flailing economy "makes everything at least discussable," said Peter Tortorici, a former CBS executive who is president of WPP Group's Group M Entertainment, a specialist in creating deals that weave advertisers into content. This new willingness often creates "very positive" ideas for integrating products into shows, he said, but "some of it will result in mistakes."