Direct response television

Direct Response Television, or DRTV for short, includes any TV programs that market goods and services directly from the manufacturer or wholesaler to the consumer, bypassing retail. This is a form of Direct Response Advertising. Direct Response Television campaigns are often managed by Direct Response media buying agencies. These agencies purchase air time from media outlets such as broadcast stations and cable networks. There are two types of direct response television, long form and short form. Long form direct response is any television commercial longer than two minutes. This was the accepted term for an infomercial from 1984 until "infomercial" came into vogue in 1988. Short form is any DRTV commercial that is two minutes or less in length. The purpose of a DRTV commercial is to have the consumer contact the advertiser directly in order to purchase the product.

Many of these items find their way to retail shelves once their television campaign has ended. Mass merchant retailers often have "as seen on TV" sections in their stores.

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