Rocketboom: Now with Ads!
24 09 2007
The brains behind one of the earliest popular video podcasts, Rocketboom, are trying out a new form of advertising courtesy of their new partners at Blip.tv, a free hosting company for video podcasters. If you watch Rocketboom on the Internet, you’ll now see an interactive ad (you click the ad and go to the sponsor’s site) at the bottom of the Rocketboom screen. If you don’t want to see the ad, you can X it out — kind of like the pop-up ads you see all over the Web.
Because you can “turn off” the ad, Rocketboom thinks this form of advertising is desirable to their viewers who like the sponsor and not intrusive to those who don’t. The first sponsor is Sarah Silverman of Comedy Central fame. Silverman is a bit of a polarizing choice to be the first sponsor, as some people love her comedy and others are genuinely offended by her or do not find her funny. The word isn’t out yet as to how Rocketboom will select sponsors for future shows, and that could very well be the difference in how fans of Rocketboom accept advertising on top of the formerly ad-free podcast.
