Re: When Did TV Shows Shrink?
| It seems hard to imagine any show will become closer to 50% commercials, but it could happen. |
| It seems hard to imagine any show will become closer to 50% commercials, but it could happen. |
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Originally Posted by Mike*SC
A few of the networks are also dividing their shows up into smaller chunks, with the idea that advertisers will prefer shorter (but more frequent) commercial breaks. This makes it nearly impossible to get any story momentum going.
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Originally Posted by Regulus
According to this article from USA TODAY, USATODAY.com - Ad glut turns off viewers written nearly four years ago, this is correct.
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| Yet Nielsen Media Research says TV viewership in U.S. homes hit record highs last season. "There's been a lot of hand-wringing in the business about when viewers are going to say, 'Enough's enough,' but they haven't," says Tim Brooks, a TV historian and research chief at Lifetime. "It may never be that commercials drive people away from the set, but it makes them pay less attention to avoid the irrelevant interruptions." |
(Seriously, there is a technique called parametric analysis that weighs the impact of things like adding more advertising, its effect on viewership, the consequent effect on ratings, and factors in the effect on rates and therefore revenues and profits -- and can help determine the optimal amount of commercials. The problem, I think, is two-fold: First, I don't think the models have factored in the spacing out effect. Second, once they do, I think that'll radically change the model, but it may not change it in our favor. I think it is as likely as not that fewer commercials will still mean less profit overall, no matter what.)
DVD Collection Inventory: TV Episodes - 14,957. Movies - 1,362. Serial Chapters 437
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Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
What Brian^K says is truly the way it works, because maximizing profit is network television's only concern. So there is an "ideal number of commercials" which will maximize profit.
If they wanted to maximize the audience -- which wouldn't necessarily maximize the profit -- there'd probably be fewer commercials. |
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Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
...If they wanted to maximize goodwill -- which is probably very low on their priorities, if it's even there at all -- there might be two minutes of commercials per half hour.
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can't argue with that, Joe. Most likely true in a lot of cases. Your line reminds me of one of my favorite 70's movies, "Charley Varrick" '73 (Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, William Schallert).
I got all the good will I need. If you want to know what I know, get some cash on the counter!"
One of my all-time favorite movies...it's out in R2 with an anamorphic release. The R1's a 1.33:1 release.
"Checkmate King Two Out" Jeff Willis "Combat! A Selmur Production"
I'm a 50's - mid-90's TV/DVD Collector. One DVD show since '96: Firefly
The Fugitive/See Hollywood & Die: [Miles] "What, you think I'm crazy?!" [Kimble] "Next question."
come see the reviews at
http://thedvdlounge.com/
and the Seinfeld Tour Bus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DztXpmMbj_0
"Checkmate King Two Out" Jeff Willis "Combat! A Selmur Production"
I'm a 50's - mid-90's TV/DVD Collector. One DVD show since '96: Firefly
The Fugitive/See Hollywood & Die: [Miles] "What, you think I'm crazy?!" [Kimble] "Next question."
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Originally Posted by Jeff Willis
Joe,
I grew up mainly in the 60's (b '55) but I remember the tail end of the 50's and the times per episode, Perry Mason, etc. I also am amazed how much the "hr-long" shows have shortened. As I only have 1 TV/DVD set from this century ("Firefly") I remember looking at the DVD player time counter watching that set.....42-43 minutes per episode vs the Perry Mason (early seasons) 52 min's per ep. That's a lot of time removed from the actual shows. |
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Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
Well, we laugh now, I guess ... but there was a time when corporations did show some social responsibility, even if it cut into their profits ... or so I've heard.
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Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
... and goodwill and a total larger audience go right out the window.
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Originally Posted by Corey3rd
some of the best tv for the last decade had zero ad breaks since they ran on HBO & Showtime.
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Originally Posted by Brian^K
Which cost about $10 per month, each. That's what it is going to come down to: You want good stuff? Well since your viewership isn't worth anything near what it used to be, now you have to put up cash.
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come see the reviews at
http://thedvdlounge.com/
and the Seinfeld Tour Bus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DztXpmMbj_0
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Originally Posted by Corey3rd
You always have to pay extra for the good stuff. That's how life is lived.
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DVD Collection Inventory: TV Episodes - 14,957. Movies - 1,362. Serial Chapters 437
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Originally Posted by Regulus
I can some this up in TWO WORDS!
CORPERATE GREED! ![]() |
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Originally Posted by Brian^K
Cooperative greed? Yes, I suppose you can call millions of American citizens investing in their futures through stocks, and 401(k)s, and other investment instruments, to be " cooperative greed" on our part. Everyone want to have the good life, and a comfortable retirement. I think your calling it "cooperative greed" is a little silly, but that's your prerogative.
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Originally Posted by Jeff Willis
I grew up mainly in the 60's (b '55) but I remember the tail end of the 50's and the times per episode, Perry Mason, etc. I also am amazed how much the "hr-long" shows have shortened. As I only have 1 TV/DVD set from this century ("Firefly") I remember looking at the DVD player time counter watching that set.....42-43 minutes per episode vs the Perry Mason (early seasons) 52 min's per ep. That's a lot of time removed from the actual shows. |
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Originally Posted by Gary OS
I'm pretty sure he meant corporate greed.
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Originally Posted by Gary OS
I honestly think you are only looking at this situation from the "corporate" or network side of things.
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Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
I said maximizing profit shouldn't be their only concern. Stockholders can get a decent return on their investments without corporations throwing aside every single concern in the world except making as much money as possible.
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Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
I'd feel odd living a life in which I'd be forced to say, "Oh, look, we can make the MOST money by having 12 minutes of commercials in each half hour, so let's do that!"
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Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
Similarly, even Fox must pass on some shows that are so vile it doesn't matter how much money they'd make. (I realize that's quite an assumption there ...)
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