In what is an appropriate metaphor for TV’s fleeing viewers, the Fox Broadcasting network said Monday it will air mobile versions of its hit series Prison Break on cell phones, with Toyota as its primary sponsor and actor in the multiscreen drama.

The deal between the carmaker and News Corp., Fox’s parent company, is another example of the not-so-quiet storm brewing in both the TV industry and the related advertising business.

Alarmed at the ongoing efforts by some viewers, particularly 18- to 34-year-old males, to avoid TV commercials, advertisers are seeking this demographic group elsewhere.

According to a number of reports, advertisers are cutting their TV, radio, and newspaper ad budgets and spending more of their resources on new media such as the Internet, cell phones, video-on-demand, and MP3 players.

Many, like Toyota, are sticking with traditional content such as TV shows, but they are spending more on the rebroadcast of these shows on new media platforms such as the Internet and cell phones.

Shares of News Corp. rose $0.11 to $17.85 in recent trading, while Toyota Motor shares fell $1.51 to $116.00.

Shorter Spots

Toyota’s deal with News Corp. will include sponsorship of the mobile version of Prison Break, along with ads on the show’s web site and on the TV show, which ends its maiden season in May.

Aware of the low tolerance of young adult audiences for traditional 30-second ads, the advertising industry has tried to find the right balance between commercialism and content. In the case of Toyota’s ads, the commercials will run for the first 10 seconds of the two-minute “mobisodes” of Prison Break.

As an industry, Madison Avenue has been reluctant to give up its traditional view that ad clutter can be effective in getting their brands into the heads of consumers. But the exodus of young TV viewers has called that viewpoint into question.

“The mobile market is exploding and it makes perfect sense for a media company like ours to create a real content destination for the billions of cell phone users around the world,” said News Corp. President and COO Peter Chernin.

Revenue Sharing

Earlier this month, Fox Broadcasting said it would rebroadcast its prime-time fare on the Internet, but it pointed out that it would work with its affiliates from the start in a revenue-sharing arrangement (see Fox Joins TV’s Internet Rush).

The TV industry is still sorting out how to divide the spoils from advertising on emerging media. The affiliates are being affected by plummeting ratings, so they don’t want to be left out of the loop as the networks “repurpose” some percentage of their programs for other media.

The deal Fox made with its affiliates will not only allow the local stations to share in the revenue from web rebroadcasts, but will also steer traffic to the local web sites for program downloads. That will allow them to market directly to Internet users.