On-demand advertising is coming to a screen near you. Molson and Ford (demo pictured below) are just two of the major national advertisers who have signed on for the trial run of Montreal-based etc.tv in August. More will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

Ian MacLean, VP/GM of etc.tv, says the full rollout to Videotron’s interactive cable subscribers is slated for September.

First unveiled in November, etc.tv has been enthusiastically received by media buyers and their clients, he says, but it has also drawn a lot of international interest. McLean expects results of the test to have a broad audience because the consumer behaviour demonstrated will provide a glimpse into how consumers will use this platform in the future.

‘ROI and accountability are on everyone’s mind. This model affords accountability as a platform that gives marketers a better handle on measuring response and zeroing in on prospects. That’s what they’re attracted to.’

With etc.tv, viewers will be able to get more info about a product or service using their remote control. Commercials featuring an etc.tv icon on the screen can be clicked on to show a menu of available extended content, which could be a long-form commercial, infomercial or a branded half-hour show.

Says MacLean: ‘Some people are concerned that the ad-supported TV model is in trouble. We think it needs an evolution in order to make it even more powerful than it has been. That’s what etc.tv is and what advertisers are recognizing.’

The network is being delivered through Quebec cableco Videotron’s Illico interactive system. Videotron has 356,000 subscribers to Illico so far.