said by skeechan:If the ads weren't so long it wouldn't be a big deal. In the 1960's ads accounted for 9 minutes an hour. Now it is double that to 18 minutes an hour and this in on top of product placement some is obnoxiously obvious. I remember watching Fringe and they spent 15 seconds in the show showing off Ford's Sync system. The commercial breaks are so long you forget what you are watching. Some of the TLC/Discovery type channels are unwatchable now without commercial skip. It is getting so bad now that they have to show the beginning credits of one show on top the ending credits of the preceding one because they crammed so many commercials into the hour.
Of course you cram a zillion commercials an hour into programming and people will find ways to avoid it and companies will fill that market need.
I remember watching cartoons as a kid and realizing 12 minutes of a half hour viewing block were commercials.
It hit me really when I started watching South Park as a kid. It was downright predictable.
Network intro
Show opening credits (30 seconds)
Network spot
Commercial block (3-5 mins)
5-10 sec Network promo (sometimes)
First segment (6-8 mins)
Network spot
Commercial block (3-5 mins)
5-10 sec Network promo (sometimes)
Second segment (6-8 mins)
Roll credits (15-30 seconds)
Network spot
5 mins of commercials till next show.
...and the industry wonders why hulu and downloading of shows by people who have paid subscriptions to their networks.