Comments on: Is NBC Running An Illegal Lottery? http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/ Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:41:37 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Davis Freeberg’s Digital Connection » Blog Archive » I’ll Take Live TV For $1,000 Alex http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/comment-page-1/#comment-543 Davis Freeberg’s Digital Connection » Blog Archive » I’ll Take Live TV For $1,000 Alex Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:30:32 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/#comment-543 [...] This will be a money making machine for NBC. This is a great way to help keep live viewers tuned into the football games and with consumers wanting to interact with programing, it should be a bigger hit then George Michael’s Sports Machine. By letting viewers play along live, it gives people a reason to stick with appointment based TV instead of time shifting the game, which should help increase ad rates. While the terms and conditions don’t make any mention of texting charges, given the popularity of TV texting and the potential to make millions off of micro payments, it would surprise me if NBC doesn’t end up making a pretty penny off of texting at some point during the life of the show. Whether consumers will stay tuned into a blowout game, just to play the Challenge is anybody’s guess, but by giving consumers a payoff to tuning in live, NBC may be able to return the game show back to it’s glory days. [...] [...] This will be a money making machine for NBC. This is a great way to help keep live viewers tuned into the football games and with consumers wanting to interact with programing, it should be a bigger hit then George Michael’s Sports Machine. By letting viewers play along live, it gives people a reason to stick with appointment based TV instead of time shifting the game, which should help increase ad rates. While the terms and conditions don’t make any mention of texting charges, given the popularity of TV texting and the potential to make millions off of micro payments, it would surprise me if NBC doesn’t end up making a pretty penny off of texting at some point during the life of the show. Whether consumers will stay tuned into a blowout game, just to play the Challenge is anybody’s guess, but by giving consumers a payoff to tuning in live, NBC may be able to return the game show back to it’s glory days. [...]

]]> By: PurePVR » Shenanigans at NBC? - PVR / DVR / TiVo - We have it all http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/comment-page-1/#comment-19 PurePVR » Shenanigans at NBC? - PVR / DVR / TiVo - We have it all Thu, 20 Jul 2006 16:01:21 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/#comment-19 [...] Davis Freeberg has an interesting opinion on this whole matter over at his blog. In the post he goes on to discuss whether this is actually a give away or whether it is a lottery of sorts. [...] [...] Davis Freeberg has an interesting opinion on this whole matter over at his blog. In the post he goes on to discuss whether this is actually a give away or whether it is a lottery of sorts. [...]

]]> By: davis http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/comment-page-1/#comment-18 davis Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:54:12 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/#comment-18 I don't have any problems with them running a contest, it's just that they don't disclose the odds and they barely mumble that there is a free way to enter (I think this is what technically allows them to solicit bets for the $10,000 prize) If I only have a 1 in a million shot at winning $10 grand and I'm paying .99 per entry, it just doesn't seem fair to consumers. Now granted consumers should be smarter, but given the response rates I've got to imagine that NBC knows that they can fleece dumb consumers who don't mind paying .99 cents and if you can fleece enough people this could potentially be a lot more profitable then even selling their shows over iTunes. If they would disclose on air that consumers only had a 1 in a ??? shot at winning and people still sent them money, then I wouldn't have any concerns. I don’t have any problems with them running a contest, it’s just that they don’t disclose the odds and they barely mumble that there is a free way to enter (I think this is what technically allows them to solicit bets for the $10,000 prize) If I only have a 1 in a million shot at winning $10 grand and I’m paying .99 per entry, it just doesn’t seem fair to consumers. Now granted consumers should be smarter, but given the response rates I’ve got to imagine that NBC knows that they can fleece dumb consumers who don’t mind paying .99 cents and if you can fleece enough people this could potentially be a lot more profitable then even selling their shows over iTunes. If they would disclose on air that consumers only had a 1 in a ??? shot at winning and people still sent them money, then I wouldn’t have any concerns.

]]> By: Matt http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/comment-page-1/#comment-17 Matt Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:44:33 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/2006/07/20/is-nbc-running-an-illegal-lottery/#comment-17 That contest definitely is an interesting way to encourage viewers to watch live vs. time shifting. I for one prefer to see networks try to entice PVR users into watch live (vs. forcing them) but I agree with you that this seems like a big money making scheme. In your mind, would it seem less 'slimy' if the prize was more than $10,000? Or perhaps if they didn't make so much money off of it? That contest definitely is an interesting way to encourage viewers to watch live vs. time shifting. I for one prefer to see networks try to entice PVR users into watch live (vs. forcing them) but I agree with you that this seems like a big money making scheme.

In your mind, would it seem less ’slimy’ if the prize was more than $10,000? Or perhaps if they didn’t make so much money off of it?

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