In-Program Ads on NBC's Law & Order SVU Tonight

Just saw a first, at least for me...and it was surprising. A brief animated banner ad for the movie "American Gangster" including text/with a simple B&W graphic like the one above moved across the bottom of the screen. It appeared smack dab in the middle of two sections of programming and was interruptive as hell. Impossible to skip that ad.

Now the networks/channels have been running promotions for their own programming for some time. And YouTube now carries its AdWords at the bottom of videos, but this is major step in prime time network advertising.

Let me think about it overnight, and I'll add some more impressions in the AM. Gnite.

Here's the view from broad daylight. They're annoying as hell...but they did get my attention and since the buzz for the movie is good it did help remind me when, specifically, American Gangster was opening.