B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Cannes Lions
  • AFL
  • NRL
  • B&T Women in Media
  • Thinkerbell
  • WPP
  • Pinterest
  • State of Origin
  • imaa
  • Anthony Albanese
  • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • ARN
  • Meta
  • AI
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: The 30-Second TVC’s Not Dead & Why The Future’s Rosy For Free To Air
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Media > The 30-Second TVC’s Not Dead & Why The Future’s Rosy For Free To Air
Media

The 30-Second TVC’s Not Dead & Why The Future’s Rosy For Free To Air

Staff Writers
Published on: 12th April 2016 at 10:02 AM
Staff Writers
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Australia’s free-to-air TV players can expect more and more overseas competition (via the internet and set-top boxes) – particularly if mooted media law changes happen – but if they stick to what they do well then the future’s a bright one.

That’s the view of Paul Whybrow (pictured below) the former Foxtel executive and now media and entertainment lead at Capgemini. Whybrow believed it will be TV’s content creators and not TV’s content distributors that will win the day.

Paul-Whybrow

“If you look at TV the world over, it’s always local content that gets the most eyeballs. And that can be news, sports, locally-made drama, whatever; and it’s the free-to-air networks that do local content really well and that’s what will give them the edge,” Whybrow told B&T.

“Seven, Nine and Ten need to stay focused on what they’re good at and for those competitors who merely distribute content rather than make their own then it will be tougher for those guys. If you’re not producing the content yourself then you’ll struggle.”

Whybrow remains a staunch fan of the much-maligned TVC and dismissed rumours of its imminent demise.

“The 30-second ad is definitely not dead and it will never die. How it has changed is that it’s no longer the centre of everything and everything falls in behind it,” he said.

“The TVC will become the reminder to all the other creative – the print, outdoor, digital – its job is to remind you of all the other creative you’ve seen. The role has reversed. In the past all the other creative was to remind you of the TVC.”

However, it’s the agencies, Whybrow urged, who needed to keep improving the creative to keep up with audience expectations.

“You can’t stand still. I think viewers are expecting so much more now, they expect a lot more from the creative; the days of simple TV advertising are over. Years ago we had these ads that told you things, that had no emotional aspect to them, those type of ads don’t resonate any more. If an ad just gives you information then people can find that anywhere these days.

“But ads that are fantastic, that come with a real emotional zing, they’ll become more prevalent. So from an agency perspective they need to be more creative not less. And sure, those ads cost big money but when you take those ads, when you’re directly reaching the customer, then the ROI will get there.

“Rather than being purely about numbers, marketers will want to reach segmented audiences. So whatever it is you’re selling, if you can reach your audience through all those other channels and the TV ad reinforces that then advertisers, I believe, will happily pay for that.

“Twenty years ago it was all about audience numbers and there was a lot of wastage. I think there’s a lot less wastage around the advertiser model in the way we reach our audiences these days,” he said.

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: 7tennis, Advertising Standards Bureau
Share
Staff Writers
By Staff Writers
Follow:
Staff Writers represent B&T's team of award-winning reporters. Here, you'll find articles crafted with industry experience spanning over 50 years. Our team of specialists brings together a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to delivering insightful, topical, and breaking news. With a deep understanding of advertising and media, our Staff Writers are dedicated to providing industry-leading analysis and reporting, both shaping the conversation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

Latest News

Ogilvy CEO Sally Kissane To Depart
08/07/2025
Everything You Need To Know About B&T’s Agency Scorecards!
08/07/2025
Agency Scorecard: Atomic 212°
08/07/2025
Agency Scorecard: Leo
08/07/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?