Cable Tv Industry Concept: Viewer Surveys Stops Fast Forwarding Past Commericals

Hello All,

Comcast is my local television cable operator in my county of Florida. I'm also the proud user of their "DVR" (Digital Video Recorder) service allowing me to pause live television or record programs I enjoy whilst I do other activities. As the introduction of DVR capable devices via services like Tivo that ushered forth the technology originally. Television viewers have for the most part leaped to fast forwarding past nuisance commercials. To get to the meat of the programming they're tuned in for particularly.

My concept would allow cable Tv or satellite operators to re-center viewer attention onto said commercials. By scattering incentives to Tv viewers to actually pay attention and via remote control have limited interaction with said commercials.

Right now on the Internet there is a survey site that offers prizes via a point system for Tv viewers. They're called "Reward Tv" where viewers sign-up for free and list which national Tv channel programming they've watched. Via online questionnaires tied to a reward point system they answer questions to what was aired during the programs events including said commercials.

Now borrowing said format to a small degree a Cable or Satellite Tv operator offers a "Consumer Survey Panel" to its subscribers. Let's say a cross-branding of AC Nielsen or some other prominent national survey firm. Where cable or dish satellite subscribers sign-up for free through their remote controls and a pin number to this consumer survey panel. In return for watching any program they choose according to their own personal viewership schedule.

Randomly with there DVR service an alert will flash across there screen or an icon will blink onto the screen denoting a survey opportunity. The Tv viewer will than with their DVR service pause "Live Television" and start the survey that was randomly offered to them. The survey can be anything of demographic value to something akin that "Reward Tv" already does with Internet users who watch television.

The incentives for Tv cable or satellite subscribers to enroll in such a "consumer survey panel". Is they can get prizes, enter sweepstakes, product discount coupons based off the commercials, product coupons of free samples of said commercials, gain reward points for redemption via a gift catalog, or receive a small discount on their Cable or Satellite bill during said month. The later incentive would be something akin to what my electric utility company (Florida Power & Light) does with a metered electricity conservation service called "On Call".

Where each month the "On Call" service offers me a monthly credit of a few dollars on my electric utility bill. So the incentive of a monthly credit on a cable or satellite Tv subscriber to their bill would be another hook to deploy for joining the consumer survey Tv panel.

This is practically a Win / Win / Win scenario where Cable / Satellite operators, there commercial sponsors, and consumers all get incentives. Whilst reducing DVR users from fast forwarding past commercials but now gaining valuable near "Live" survey panelist feedback from Tv audiences.