“These are both local and national ads running on the best and the brightest of the shock jocks,” CEO Charles Prast told XBiz. “We started running radio ads at the end of last year, and we have been delighted with the response.”
ITVN is targeting its core demographic — adult males in their 20s, 30s and 40s — with the ads by buying air time on programs such as “The Tom Leykis Show,” hosted by the controversial syndicated DJ and creator of “Leykis 101,” an on-air course teaching men how to get the most sex for the least amount of effort and money.
The ads feature a sultry-voiced woman touting the service’s array of adult programming, which includes more than 100 channels, as well as a free 15-day trial offer.
Prast told XBiz the spots have been so successful that the company is now looking to expand its promotional efforts to include other media such as direct mail and late-night cable TV.
ITVN last year won the Digital Life Innovator of the Year award from Ziff-Davis, publisher of numerous technology magazines. With ITVN’s TV-over-broadband technology, consumers connect a set-top box to an existing broadband router, plug in the set-top connector to a television set and subscribe to the service.
While it’s uncommon for adult-oriented companies to advertise through mainstream broadcast channels, ITVN is not the first. CyberAge made headlines last year when the company undertook an ambitious media campaign highlighted by nationwide TV spots on shows like E!’s “Howard Stern Show.” The ads featured adult performers Tera Patrick and Gina Lynn and were aimed at increasing traffic to CyberAge’s affiliate sites.
XTV also offers a webmaster affiliate program, with payouts of $35 per set-top box sale and 10 percent recurring revshare.