TVWeek.com writes (and you need a free password to read the full article):
"Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has re-entered the world of selling "virtual" product placement, through which everyday products are digitally inserted into syndicated sitcoms.
Warner's new virtual product placement effort, called digital branded integration, is targeting deals for the distributor's off-network sitcoms, including "Will & Grace," "Friends" and "The Drew Carey Show." Media agency executives said Warner Bros. already has inked two deals with consumer product advertisers for virtual product placement in syndicated sitcoms.
Marathon Ventures, a Midwest-based marketing and advertising company, is providing the virtual product placement technology for Warner Bros.
Virtual product placement became a buzzword in 1999 when Warner Bros.' syndication division struck a deal with New Jersey-based Princeton Video Image, which possessed the technology to digitally insert products into TV shows.
At that point, PVI had already used its technology in sports programming, digitally inserting product logos onto signs behind the batter's box during baseball games. PVI's technology has also been used in NFL football games to superimpose first-down markers onto the video picture of the football field.
But PVI didn't produce any business, and Warner Bros. ended its agreement with the company some years ago, according to a syndication executive. PVI filed for bankruptcy in May 2003.
Warner Bros., executives said, will be offering limited static product shots of a few seconds-for example, of a bottle of Perrier inserted on a table. Characters will have limited interaction with the virtual products, an executive said."
