TV advertising

[Popinjay]

Wouldn't it be smart for all TV shows to randomize how many commercials there are going to be in any one break? That way people wouldn't be able to change channels and have to watch the commercials if they didn't want to miss some of the show.

[GuyOnTilt]

I'm sure there have been tons of studies backed by marketing analysis as to how the number of commericals in a break affects maintaining viewer attention. Also, prices for commercial slots vary by where they are in the break, e.g. the first and last slots costs considerably more than middle ones. I'm sure the network finding the optimal balance between those two things is a pretty high priority and they've spent good money researching it.

GoT

[nolanfan34]

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I'm sure there have been tons of studies backed by marketing analysis as to how the number of commericals in a break affects maintaining viewer attention. Also, prices for commercial slots vary by where they are in the break, e.g. the first and last slots costs considerably more than middle ones. I'm sure the network finding the optimal balance between those two things is a pretty high priority and they've spent good money researching it.

GoT

[/ QUOTE ]

Plus, people in TV are super, super lazy. If they staggered the break lengths, you'd see a lot of dead air during the news. That would rule.

[ QUOTE ]
Wouldn't it be smart for all TV shows to randomize how many commercials there are going to be in any one break? That way people wouldn't be able to change channels and have to watch the commercials if they didn't want to miss some of the show.

[/ QUOTE ]
that is a good idea but that would cost extra to compensate for all the extra work the commercial staff would need to do, plus for the first few months commercials would be getting cut off.

[GuyOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Wouldn't it be smart for all TV shows to randomize how many commercials there are going to be in any one break? That way people wouldn't be able to change channels and have to watch the commercials if they didn't want to miss some of the show.

[/ QUOTE ]
that is a good idea but that would cost extra to compensate for all the extra work the commercial staff would need to do, plus for the first few months commercials would be getting cut off.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think the OP meant that it'd be a good idea to literally randomize it, as that would be completely impractical. I was assuming he meant more along the lines of the network making a scedule that mixed up the number of commercials per break more.

GoT