Ads are a necessity for many media business ventures. Adverts are an avenue for receiving income, and the company for whom the ads are for, for market products and likely increasing profits. Both sides win; the owner of the specific media station or network, and the owner of the product being marketed. It is why it has spawned into many forms: online ads, product placement in movies et cetera.
The one thing you do not expect, is for a company to create a system which does not achieve this much success. Almost 90% of all ads on DSTV are ads advertising DSTV and its products. This means that DSTV spends money on creating products and then on advertising them as well. It also means that they do not receive as much money from other parties as you might expect. I understand how this doesn’t seem like a problem. And it might not be for you. Unfortunately it is for me. The problem is that the constant overload desensitizes a viewer. For a month you might see only 5 commercials 50-100 times, to the point where you can speak along with the narrator. It even gets to the point where you begin to contemplate about the inner workings of DSTV’s ad system and put it into an article for others to read. You watch a DSTV show, then box office ad, then show, then channel ad, then Explora ad, then show, then ads for other shows. It is irritating, especially considering how unimaginative and similar every single ad is.
To conclude, ads can be very beneficial to everyone, when used right. They can be as entertaining and creative as some shows. I’ve seen some like that. DSTV do not do that, and while it isn’t a problem for everyone, it is an issue for some. Thus, I feel that if online ad-free viewing – like Netflix – arrives in Nigeria, DSTV might have a problem.
About the Writer: Tobe Halim is a teenage student, Liverpool Club fan and avid reader of fiction novels. Twitter: @TobeHal
