Channel 4 has agreed to adopt Sky Interactive adverts, allowing a single format for campaigns across all the major UK commercial channels on the satellite platform.
It will finally be possible for a single interactive execution to work across ITV, Channel 4, and five, as well as Sky, UKTV and other Flextech channels.
Ironically, this was precipitated by the Zip TV consortium, which aimed to establish an interactive advertising alternative to Sky.
Channel 4 initially stood by the Zip initiative, but negotiations with other broadcasters became protracted. IDS, the sales house for UKTV and Flextech, eventually reached agreement with Zip, as did five, leaving only the ITV channels left to sign.
The entry of Zip into the market had the effect of reducing the cost of running interactive campaigns across the board and increasing the focus on the creative opportunities for brand building.
Sky responded by offering advertisers the choice of using either Sky facilities or third party options, while working with the industry to create awards for interactive advertising.
The satellite operator is also addressing the requirement for improved measurability by establishing its Sky View panel to track usage through set-top boxes.
However, with a number of providers vying to compete for the provision of interactive television campaigns, there is still scope for simplifying the market for the benefit or prospective advertisers.