UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB, otherwise known as Sky, has announced a new AdSmart program that will target ads to customers depending on their profile and location. The program is similar to advertisements that are found on the internet, aimed to be more personalised and engaging, rather than ignored.

Essentially, two different people can be watching the same television programme, while getting two different advertisements.

Sky AdSmart technology sends a library of adverts via satellite to the Sky+HD set-top box, and it then selects the adverts which best match a household’s profile and inserts them into a live ad break. Advertisements are chosen based on the customer’s postcode alongside publicly available demographic information from third-party providers.

“With Sky AdSmart, we want to make TV advertising work better for viewers and advertisers," Andrew Griffith, Sky’s chief financial officer, said. "By enabling advertisers to better segment the TV audience, Sky AdSmart has the potential to open up TV advertising to many more brands and businesses."

Advertisers that have already signed-up for AdSmart include Tesco, Royal Bank of Scotland, Littlewoods, American Airlines and Audi. Citroen and Dial-A-Flight have also confirmed that they will be rolling out campaigns using the Sky AdSmart service later this year.

Sky customers can opt out of Sky AdSmart at any time through the company's website or by calling Sky’s customer service team.