More ads? Only in the eye of the beholder

USA Today reports this morning that consumers are whining again about an increasing glut of commercials getting in the way of their favorite series. But the story, which mostly talks about ABC, points out that in fact, it’s just a perception—probably brought on by a rejiggering of when the network airs its commercials. At the start of the season, ABC told all of its dramas to change from presenting four acts per episode to six, with a long opening segment followed by a series of shorter ones. But our favorite part of the story was this spin-of-the-week quote from ABC sales chief Mike Shaw, speculating that people "feel that way because they love the show so much, that they really notice it when the breaks are there." (Addendum: Does it figure that when you go to ABC's site in search of their logo it automatically shows a clip from one of the network's hit shows, preceded by a commercial, without giving you the option of turning the ad off? Yeah, it does.)

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

October 12, 2005 | Permalink