Broadcast networks produced a 3.5% increase in the number of combined commercial minutes in prime time last year -- a sign that networks may be forced to squeeze in more spots to keep revenues growing. Nielsen figures show that the total rose to 5,688 minutes in 2008, topping the total of 5,492 the year before.
While prime time saw a notable boost, daytime commercial minutes were about flat, with a total of 3,811 increasing less than 1% over 2007. Daytime covers 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
via MediaDailyNews
Here's a chart from from the latest Nielsen Television Audience Report with the data.
Click for a full sized image.
I’ve attempted to watch Lost live a few times but couldn’t stand the amount of commercials. That seems to be the worst of all the shows I watch. Now, almost everything is DVR for me.
Is there a breakdown by Network? ABC seems to be the worst offender as far as incessant interruptions. Thank God for the DVR. Most shows are unwatchable live.
DVRs rule !!!
The most profound evidence I’ve found of how commercials have eaten into programming time is to compare the run time on episodes of older programs that you might have on DVD with current programs. Example: An hour-long broadcast episode from the late-’70s/earl-’80s contained 50-52 minutes of programming; today, an hour-long episode contains about 10 minutes LESS programming and 10 more minutes of commercials. The same ratio applies to 30-minute programs. Unbelievable greed and disrespect for viewers. I use the DVR for EVERYTHING.
Scotty – I agree with you. I would love to see a chart with the total minutes of commercials laid over a chart of the decline of network audience share. Yes cable, internet, etc has had an impact. I feel the aggressive increase in two things: commercials and other interruptions during programs and the damn lay over on the screen of various promotions for other shows, the local news, etc. has created too many distractions so that the viewer nolonger feels connected to the content being shown.
AZTop, one thing that folks frequently confuse is that while broadcast network TV viewing is declining, overall TV viewing is not. In fact overall TV viewing has been flat to very slightly rising for a very long time. Most of the increase has gone to advertising supported cable.
As for your “distractions are causing viewership loss” theory, while the numbers cited and charted in this post are for English broadcast networks only, I don’t have any reason to believe that cable network advertising hasn’t followed a similar pattern.
Here’s one advantage to using the DVR over watching shows on the Internet. You can fast forward. Have you tried watching a soap opera on the Internet? Take General Hospital for instance. ABC has an ad and then there is some of the show and then there is an ad and then there is some show, and this continues until the show is over When I watched, the ads were for ABC shows which was fairly clever of them because with the exception of GH (and very occasionally The View) I don’t watch ABC. The ads were omnipresent and I still didn’t tune in but at least I was made aware of the ABC prime time line up.
Letterman’s second half also has an incredible amount of ads, some network, a lot local. Guess that is why his show is an hour and three minutes long.
Let’s be honest, a longer ad time allows one the opportunity to leave the room, accomplish a task, and come back to the show without missing anything. Sometimes I read a book during commercial breaks. It is amazing how much you can read in that amount of time.
Was the increase from the 1990 to 2000 gradual? Was there a collective decision to over a decade double the number of commercial minutes? Or did that happen without a plan for it, just every year they decided they should increase it.
Jeff, the only numbers I have are the ones you see, but I’d guess a gradual increase far more likely.
Can’t wait for the special 2-hour episodes of CSI, with 56 minutes of content and 64 minutes of commercial, to start hitting the airwaves.
Or the 1/2 comedies that are 8 minute, 3 segment skits.
Or the product placement to become dominant in shows such as CSI, although I hesitate to think what they might place in there (and how).
that should be 1/2 hour comedies
I simply DVR everything i am gonna watch because I refuse TO WATCH COMMERCIALS
the DVR is awesome…and when i do watch live tv its for sports only and during their breaks i refill my drink glass get more snacks or use the bathroom
Like another poster said, I rarely watch anything live. I intentionally start the show about 15 minutes in so I can fast forward through the commercials. My poor children have no real concept on how to watch TV without a DVR. When they are over a friends or relative’s house they don’t understand why they have to sit through a commercial or can’t pause the show to use the bathroom. When I explain they don’t have a DVR they act as if they have been transported to the dark ages. I know that commercials pay for so many of the shows I love so much but I just can’t stand them anymore.
Doesn’t really matter to me. I vastly prefer to watch shows “live.” I just do something else during the commercials. The instant gratification of DVRs seems to have produced an entitlement complex among viewers.
“The instant gratification of DVRs seems to have produced an entitlement complex among viewers.”
I would say it’s more of a delayed gratification.
I gave up on TV 30 Months ago. If a program is not on DVD I simply do not watch it!:D