Unpaid brand mentions vastly outnumber paid product placements in the show

Evidence

In a television show about television, it is to be expected that one of the top categories for references is television. It is surprising, however, to see that brand mentions are actually the most referenced category. The sheer amount of brands (722) referenced is notable, considering that only eighty-five were officially product placements, as noted by the episode’s credits sequence, which must include a “promotional consideration furnished by” tag when placements are paid for. Of the eighty-five, the majority are from Apple, indicating a long-term contract to integrate the brand into many episodes of the show, resulting in numerous references to its line of products, including the iMac, the Macbook, the iPhone, the iPod, iTunes, and Siri. … In fact, many episodes begin in Jack’s elegant, corporate office, where an iMac is clearly visible, effectively starting the show with a mini-commercial. — Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, 367

Categorization

• XREF: Directly serves the reader’s project of tracing how ownership/finance structures imprint on actual televisual form — the iMac as recurring visual scene-opener is a formal fingerprint.
• SEED: An essay could analyze how the long-term brand integration deal dictates scene composition — the office mini-commercial as opening — versus a mere count of placements.
• QUESTION: Which show is this? The Apple contract terms and what they required of the writing (scene blocking around the iMac) would be worth chasing.