Online advertising is the recipient of a legacy.  Most of what we see online was shaped by the newspaper, radio and TV advertisements that lived before the first modem dialed-up the information super highway (and, to varying degrees, continue to live).

However, that influence down the technological innovation curve may now be flowing the other way.  Recently, a consortium of traditional ad agencies stated they would build an automated ad-buying system for TV inventory, mimicking online advertisers' real-time bidding on advertising inventory.

The plan will be more efficient, but airwaves are very different to wi-fi.  There is a lot less TV inventory that ad inventory, and TV stations still benefit from excess demand.

It's an interesting development, none the less, as the internet continues to disrupt traditional business models.