Soon you’ll be able to watch a tiny screen with these people silently dicking around while being bombarded with a commercial for crap you don’t want. Or you can just keep skipping the commercials with your DVR.

Act of desperation or brilliant new strategy? Me, I can’t imagine this helping.

TV viewers by now are accustomed to seeing product placement in their favorite shows. But how will they react upon seeing “program placement” in their commercials?

On John King’s new early-evening news show on CNN, every commercial runs with a small window at the bottom of the screen offering a live view of the show’s set. That’s right — the show, “John King, USA,” in a sense continues into the commercials, with viewers able to see activity between producers and talent as well as a broader graphic offering news and tidbits from around the nation.

Adage: CNN Marries Content and Commercials to Retain Viewers

(via Nieman Journalism Lab)