Products Getting Free Buzz On TV

Who was the star of last night's episode of HBO's The Sopranos?

Tony? Carmela? The confused and conflicted Vito?

No, the real star was TiVo's new DVD recorder. The product was placed strategically in between Carmela (Edie Falco) and one of her Jersey girlfriends during a lengthy conversation about life as a Mob wife. As the scene progressed, the camera moved in for a close-up of the two women, but the TiVo DVD recorder was the most prominent object on screen.

Was this a coincidence? Of course not. The product placement business is generating billions of dollars for the networks and its show producers. (Note the picture of the Coke cup next to American Idol's Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.)

I don't know if TiVo paid for last night's stealth ad. But Reuters reports that some brands are getting a free ride. Apple's products, for instance, have been mentioned 250 times on 38 different network shows over the last four months -- apparently for free. Network producers like to name-drop products such as the iPod to give their shows a "coolness" factor.

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