DBSTalk Forum banner

Program Time Vs. Ad Time

3K views 32 replies 19 participants last post by  CCarncross 
#1 ·
At one time (not too long ago) programs accounted for about 22 minutes per half hour.

Today:

  • Many shows have dropped or severely curtailed opening/theme sequences.
  • Most shows now run the closing credits over the last few minutes of the program. Almost none have separate closing sequences any more.
  • With syndicated reruns, closing sequences on older shows are reduced to unreadable small windows and run overlapping the opening minute or so of the next program which is also in a small window.
  • Most shows contain several on screen network ads/promos, most animated, some with sound.

My estimate of pure programming time (no ads or promos of any kind) per half hour now is somewhere around 10 minutes.

Are there any actual numbers available?
 
#27 ·
TomCat said:
What a great resource; thanks for posting that.

But two things jump out:

1) The amount of commercial time is virtually unchanged for ~the last decade.

2) The first entry, for 1952, is qualified as "time watching commercials".​
That (#2) was not even true then, because folks could visit the loo, make a sandwich, walk the dog, etc.
And today, during a commercial break you can visit the loo, make a sandwich, AND walk the dog.
 
#28 ·
TomCat said:
The amount of commercial time is virtually unchanged for ~the last decade.
It is a limited survey but perhaps 20-22 minutes should be considered the broadcast critical mass. It seems that we get more than that on some cable channels that stretch movies out with commercial breaks (and occasionally cut content to make room for more commercials).

Perhaps the apparent leveling over the last decade has been influenced by VCR/DVRs where broadcasters have figured out that if they try to put more commercials into the program breaks they won't be watched. So the move over the past decade is to put more commercials into the programs: product placements.
 
#29 ·
What also needs to be added into wasted program time are the "coming up next on ..." segments prior to commercials in many shows. Are they getting us ready for even more ads now when in future they will just cut those and add even more commercials? At this point I don't put anything past them. Am I one of only a few who don't need a commercial for the show I'm actually watching??

I don't watch anything "live" now. If I miss some commercials that might have been of interest to me, then they've lost a product sale. I'll live without it, whatever it is.

I can't count how many times I go through 5 minutes of skipped commercials to come back to 4 minutes of show and then more commercials.

No, I don't have a Hopper, but I consider that the networks have brought this on themselves, and I'd always use auto-hop if I did.
 
#30 ·
My nominal comparison for program time is DVD program length. How long is the program when offered on DVD? I do not believe any of the show DVDs I have purchased are "extended cut" adding minutes that were not aired on TV so the DVD edit would be the core of the program ... which would include the credits and "previously on" segments at the beginning of the program but would not include bumpers in and out of commercial (which technically are part of the show but would not make sense on a DVD release).

Those bumpers are needed on broadcast presentation to let people know what is ahead and remind them what was before. They compensate for interrupting the continuity of the program. They are not program time because they would not be needed if there were not commercials but they also are not commercial time. They are a byproduct of commercials.

I do not believe they are filler that is awaiting replacement by commercial content. If they were replaced then other program time would need to be taken to provide the "coming up" and "before the break" bumpers. The more commercials there are the more the audience needs to be reminded of what they are watching.
 
#31 ·
I am surprised no one has mentioned the morning news/talk shows, (CBS This Morning, Today, etc.) To be fair I dont actually 'watch' the show, it is more background noise as I get ready and if I see or hear something interesting I stop and watch. That said is seems like it is 7-8 minutes of show, 3 minutes of commercial, back to the show for a 1 minute promo of what is coming up and 3 more minutes of commercials. Repeat, then go to the 5 minute local insert which is 2 minutes of news, 1 minute of commercial, 1 minute of weather then another minute of commercial. Now repeat everything for another half hour
 
#33 ·
longrider said:
As much as I and everyone else here hates advertising, I think it would be a real eye opener to see how much a satellite subscription would cost if all advertising revenue was removed and the entire cost of production and distribution had to be paid by the viewers.
Not just satellite, but any tv provider would be a similar scenario, where the broadcasters would be charging much more for their programming if advertising wasnt defraying the production costs.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top