Recently I have noticed a sneaky new trend to squeeze in more commercials. This seems to happen on History, Discovery and other "documentary" type channels.
The show will begin and the normal string of commercial breaks will occur. Around 20 minutes into the show the commercial break will happen. 5 minutes of commercials will play and then it appears the TV show comes back on. However, only a 20 second segment will play (usually something funny) and then another string of 2 to 3 minutes worth of commercials. In a time span of 9 minutes you receive nearly 20 commercials.
What happened to the good old days.... 2 one minute commercials every 20 minutes. Just enough time to go get a cool one from the frig.
Don't the Advertisers realize we aren't watching the commercials our DVRs are fast forwarding to the next 5 minutes of the show.
Thanks for listening and now a word from our sponsors.......
-- Edited by thebearII on Thursday 4th of October 2012 05:33:34 PM
Technomadia said
02:44 PM Oct 5, 2012
Actually.. the advertisers do realize that many are watching on DVR type devices, which is a big part of the change you're noting. Many marketing firms are investing in creating commercials that are still noticeable at those fastforwarded speeds. You have to pay attention to catch that quick inbetween programming :)
We have watched hardly any 'traditional' TV in the past many years. Instead of a cable or satellite bill, we instead purchase commercial-free content by buying TV shows we enjoy on BluRay disc, iTunes or rent/stream from Netflix (when we have unlimited internet access.)
- Cherie
Lucky Mike said
03:11 PM Oct 5, 2012
business is business.........I hate commercials also , but if they didnt put all those commercials in the networks would find another way to make up the costs of free television......like Cable , satellite......the rates go up.
even when you stream or use a disc you will buy a commercial somewhere in the program.
I get almost all my tv from the antenna .........all others like streaming from the internet when available........I like commercials , they make me want to get up and do something else like read or just go out and finish all the honeydoo's I should have been doing instead of couch surfing......LOL
Bill and Linda said
10:59 PM Oct 5, 2012
Well, here is the reason behind so many commercials, besides “business,” if you want the true skinny.(I have been in the business for almost 50 years and that’s why I know this stuff.)
Back prior to about 1970, or something like that, broadcasters had what was known as an “NAB Code.”(NAB for National Association of Broadcasters.)That code, which was voluntary, but almost everyone subscribed to it, limited voluntarily the number of commercials in a specific span of time and some of the more “intimate” products that would be advertised on “television.”
Well, it seems our dear “representatives” thought it was bad for an industry to “self-regulate” such things.Only the government should regulate. So the organization was not allowed to “enforce” the code as a part of membership in the NAB.After that – the flood gate was opened and we now have what we have.
Whether you agree or disagree with the “government” decision or not is not the point.That’s the beginning reason why we now have so many commercials.
Bill
TXRVr said
01:08 AM Oct 11, 2012
Bill and Linda wrote:
Well, here is the reason behind so many commercials, besides “business,” if you want the true skinny.(I have been in the business for almost 50 years and that’s why I know this stuff.)
Another annoyance is that all of the stations have conspired in an effort to put their commercials on at the same time. Normally, you cannot channel hop without finding another in progress commercial.
Some suit in the marketing department will finally figure out that the company can't outsmart the viewer no matter what and then we'll see a return to normalicy. In the mean time the Mute button takes care of that issue and I always have something I can do while three or four minutes of commercials stream across the screen. If one doesn't want to wait for the return to nomalicy, then take the time to write the Marketing Director of the programming company. The only way to get policy change is to bitch about it.
Racerguy said
03:49 AM Oct 11, 2012
I very seldom watch anything real time.I DVR everything and buzz through the commercials.I can watch a 30 minute program in around 20 minutes.
Recently I have noticed a sneaky new trend to squeeze in more commercials. This seems to happen on History, Discovery and other "documentary" type channels.
The show will begin and the normal string of commercial breaks will occur. Around 20 minutes into the show the commercial break will happen. 5 minutes of commercials will play and then it appears the TV show comes back on. However, only a 20 second segment will play (usually something funny) and then another string of 2 to 3 minutes worth of commercials. In a time span of 9 minutes you receive nearly 20 commercials.
What happened to the good old days.... 2 one minute commercials every 20 minutes. Just enough time to go get a cool one from the frig.
Don't the Advertisers realize we aren't watching the commercials our DVRs are fast forwarding to the next 5 minutes of the show.
Thanks for listening and now a word from our sponsors.......
-- Edited by thebearII on Thursday 4th of October 2012 05:33:34 PM
We have watched hardly any 'traditional' TV in the past many years. Instead of a cable or satellite bill, we instead purchase commercial-free content by buying TV shows we enjoy on BluRay disc, iTunes or rent/stream from Netflix (when we have unlimited internet access.)
- Cherie
even when you stream or use a disc you will buy a commercial somewhere in the program.
I get almost all my tv from the antenna .........all others like streaming from the internet when available........I like commercials , they make me want to get up and do something else like read or just go out and finish all the honeydoo's I should have been doing instead of couch surfing......LOL
Well, here is the reason behind so many commercials, besides “business,” if you want the true skinny. (I have been in the business for almost 50 years and that’s why I know this stuff.)
Back prior to about 1970, or something like that, broadcasters had what was known as an “NAB Code.” (NAB for National Association of Broadcasters.) That code, which was voluntary, but almost everyone subscribed to it, limited voluntarily the number of commercials in a specific span of time and some of the more “intimate” products that would be advertised on “television.”
Well, it seems our dear “representatives” thought it was bad for an industry to “self-regulate” such things. Only the government should regulate. So the organization was not allowed to “enforce” the code as a part of membership in the NAB. After that – the flood gate was opened and we now have what we have.
Whether you agree or disagree with the “government” decision or not is not the point. That’s the beginning reason why we now have so many commercials.
Bill