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Wal-Mart TV

The New York Times on Wal-Mart's TV Network, which airs "a constant stream of consumer product ads" in the store:

According to Wal-Mart and to an agency that handles its ad sales, [Wal-Mart TV] captures some 130 million viewers every four weeks, making it the fifth-largest television network in the United States after NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox.

In the produce aisle, the TV screen gets shoppers' attention, thanks to its big size and lighted face, and from speakers installed on the ceiling, which create a kind of pathway of sound that can make even focused buyers turn toward its source... "A lot of them are picking up bananas and not even looking at them," said Dale Koehler, the store manager, referring to his customers. "They're looking at the TV."

I don't necessarily buy the numbers of the Wal-Mart TV audience; then again, the major networks inflate their numbers too -- and they can't force people to wait in line in front of TV screens.

(Via the boxtank, an excellent NYC blog focused on Wal-Mart and big-box retail)