NEW YORK — Can the Hopper, Dish Network’s ad-skipping set-top box, be a non issue for advertisers? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Dish director of advertising sales Adam S. Gaynor thinks so.
“I don’t think Dish has created the ability to skip over commercials,” he said in defense of the technology. “I think it was something that’s been around for a long time, now it’s just easier for consumers.”
Dish’s ad-sales division is concerned about innovating for its clients, connecting them to the viewers and subscribers they want to reach, he said.
“That’s where addressability comes in; that’s where interactivity comes in; that’s where data comes in,” he said on a panel moderated by B&C business editor Jon Lafayette. “There are a lot of other remote controls that can do that as well from other operators. For us, it’s really about controlling the message to the right folks.”
He acknowledged that he spent a lot of time after Dish’s Hopper announcement last year with his team talking to clients.
“Yes, people were upset,” he said. “When you speak to them and communicate with them, what we have to offer is a lot stronger than this little thing over here that’s not really affecting our clients.”
