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Discussion Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: SoLaR_HaVa on July 24, 2013, 09:59:10 am

Title: commercials
Post by: SoLaR_HaVa on July 24, 2013, 09:59:10 am
How come commercials are so long? I don't usually fall for their advertisements, and i dont like them especially when its on TV and im watching something very interesting. like one day, I was watching an amazing movie and it got to the most interesting part and then commercials came on. totally ruined the moment.  :angry7: :BangHead:
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: BlackSheepNY on July 24, 2013, 10:05:25 am
Commercials get on my nerves.  What I've found lately is that there are many MORE commercials between breaks in a show or movie.  I remember the day when you paid for cable and got ZERO commercials.  Some of these commercials now are shown TWICE IN A ROW.  If you take notice, the commercials are also LOUDER than the show or movie.  Unless the commercial itself is exceptionally witty or funny, I ignore them as much as possible.  To me, it's like SPAM on my TV screen!
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: Shandara09 on July 24, 2013, 11:34:04 am
I hadn't noticed them getting longer, but yeah, sometimes they do have bad placement in movies.  That's when I'm thankful to have a DVR.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: cuppycakke on July 24, 2013, 03:30:23 pm
My feeling about them is neutral. Yeah, it is true that if you watch an hour show, commercials basically take 30 minutes of the whole program, but, without them, the companies wouldn't receive any revenue. They wouldn't get money to put into even more episodes and would ultimately, probably have to cancel the show (which should be a pretty obvious, well known fact from the start of this conversation). Think of the good side about them. It can give you a chance to take a break and do what you need to do before the show comes back on (get a snake, use the restroom, have a small chat with someone and talk about your opinions of the events that just occurred in the show). It also raises suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat when a commercial hits. Yeah, it can be a "You've got to be KIDDING me! It was on such a good part!" moment, but it allows you to build ideas in your head; infer about what is about to happen next, which, to some people, can be a good thing. This is turning into a lecture, so I'm going to cut it short. Don't take this in a mean way, but, unless you want to take money from your own pocket and pay for the show, in order for it to have no commercials, stop your whining (whining doesn't help, and gets you absolutely nowhere...), suck it up, and learn to live with them. Hope you have a nice day.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: potluck6 on July 24, 2013, 05:58:29 pm
when ads come on I usually click to channel 99 with Comcast it is a dead channel. or when I want quiet I put it on. surprised at how many commercials are on like 3-4 minutes so annoying.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: jcalexis on July 24, 2013, 07:01:56 pm
I believe these channels are commercial channels. Advertisers pay big bucks to have their products viewed in tv.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: Oryon20 on July 24, 2013, 10:38:15 pm
As annoying as commercials may be, the reality is, programming is made in order for advertisers to pay for commercial time.  This is why shows get canceled.  Low ratings equals low demand to buy the advertising time during that show and/or at very low ad rates. 

The Super Bowl can charge millions of dollars for ad time.  Why?  It's the highest rated, most watched programming every year (and sometimes ever), and advertisers line up to dish out the millions every year.

For low rated shows?  Advertisers run away from them, or the ones who don't (say there's a program which rates high in some demographic, like in woman 18-24, and a company's target demo is that range) end up paying very low rates.

Here's a good example.  Whitney was a low rated show on NBC all of last season, which ultimately got canceled this past spring.  NBC was only able to get about $47,000 per 30 second spot (compare that to CBS getting $275,000+ for a 30 second spot for The Big Bang Theory).  If there are about 6 minutes worth of commercials for a 30 minute show (a 30 minute show is around 22 minutes long without commercials, and about 2 minutes worth are local commercials or network promos), NBC was only getting about $564,000 worth of advertising money each time the show aired.  The show probably cost more to make than what was coming in for advertising per episode, not even including the costs of promotion of the show.  Then compare that amount to TBBT on CBS which is $3.3 million for the same 6 minutes.  You can then see why a network axes a show.

Commercials are never going away.  If you don't want them, your only recourse is buying premium content like HBO, Showtime, etc. (where you essentially are funding their original programming with your subscription), getting a DVR and watching it after it airs to fast forward the commercials, or subscribing to a service like Netflix, Hulu+, or Amazon Prime and stream programming without commercials.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: nickylanena on July 25, 2013, 05:00:37 am
I know! It's sooo annoying!
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: twelton on July 25, 2013, 02:53:02 pm
I don't watch much television so I don't know if the commercials are getting longer or not but I would say that more than likely it's to pay for the programming.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: kqa on July 25, 2013, 03:55:06 pm
That's why I enjoy using the DVR. There is something I noticed years ago and it holds true today. Anytime I turn the TV on, it seems that a commercial is on without fail.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: angprescott on July 25, 2013, 03:58:06 pm
I also dislike commercials, but I know that they are getting longer because the shows are selling more time. it is all about corporate America earning a dollar. Instead of giving us a show that is a full half hour or what ever the time is of the movie you are watching.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: dkanofsky on July 27, 2013, 07:44:23 am
I record the programs I enjoy watching and then I just fast forward through all the commercials. ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: Forp on July 27, 2013, 09:05:17 am
I find a great many of the ads far more entertaining than the shows themselves...I even watch those annual best commercial programs...just in case I missed a really effective /powerful one  :dontknow:
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: gbabesmom on July 27, 2013, 09:26:44 am
Some commercials are very funny, but others are downright annoying. I use the mute button regularly. When I had a dvr I enjoyed watching shows because I could fast forward the commercials.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: sharonpatri55 on July 29, 2013, 07:24:35 am
Not only have commercials gotten longer, the stations pack more into the commercial breaks between tv segments. Some stations also make the volume louder during the commercials; has anyone else noticed this?
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: lvstephanie on July 29, 2013, 07:54:12 am
I wouldn't doubt that there are more / longer commercials if you consider the extensive use of DVRs nowadays... Companies pay the networks to show their ads, and the amount they pay is based on the number of views the ad is likely to receive. If more viewers are watching the show for "free" (ie they have recorded the show with a DVR and skip the ads which pay for that show) then the network has to make up that lost revenue by a) charging companies more for each ad spot (which won't happen since it was the decreased viewership that caused the rates to be lower in the first place), b) create more ad slots, or c) increase the ad's value to allow the network to charge more (ie give the company something to increase their Return on Investment like making the slots longer, increasing ad volume, packaging TV ads with on-line spots on the network's web page, etc.). I know it's a vicious cycle, but as more and more people try to skip the ads and watch a show for free, the more the rest of us will have to pay. It's like anything else in life; the more people want something for free, the more expensive it becomes for the rest of us.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: bretay on July 29, 2013, 08:00:16 am
i dont watch tv to much.but my husband hates commercials..good thing he has a remote..he records everything then goes back to watch it so he can fast forward through commercials
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: moonangel on July 29, 2013, 08:05:57 am
yep I too dislike commercials  that's what we call our intermission and run for a drink snack etc
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: bowrunner on July 29, 2013, 08:06:15 am
Someone has to pay for it or there wouldn't be anything on TV.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: Skandon on July 29, 2013, 08:34:40 am
Even the cable channels are running a lot of commercials unless you are watching a movie on a premium channel.  It's break time, I guess.  Would be nice if they would make them short and funny.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: drpybutt on July 29, 2013, 08:59:39 am
The only thing commercials are good for are bathroom breaks or getting munchies
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: sugarsandy on July 29, 2013, 09:04:11 am
yeah that why my husband get rid of our cable and get hulu and neflix no advertisement  :notworthy: :heart:
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: jnjmolly on July 29, 2013, 01:45:07 pm
I don't even watch ccommercials anymore...I go through them all with my direct tv receiver...I only stop if i see something interesting.
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: kaitsilva on July 29, 2013, 05:00:36 pm
I agree that TV shows tend to cut to commercial at the most intense moment and it's super disheartening.

But if those commercials weren't there, then you would REALLY be upset. Commercial advertisers pay cable companies to have their ads aired. Without it, cable networks and providers would have no income other than what they're charging consumers. Cable prices would probably be 10x more then they are right now!
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: alina6 on July 29, 2013, 06:37:23 pm
I like the one with the guy and the kids for ATT. Faster is better. What is the highest number you can think of: "10" ;D
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: vicogden on July 29, 2013, 10:54:21 pm
Commercials are a live evil if you're watching live TV... the actors and crew gotta get paid.  But I agree with you.  Sometimes I watch TV and it seems like the show is on for 2 minutes, then commercials for 5 minutes, and so on and so on...
Title: Re: commercials
Post by: champak97 on July 30, 2013, 10:44:32 pm
I don't mind funny commercials, but for the annoying ones, I use the mute button.