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Ad overkill in primetime

Three networks logged across three hours = how many ads?

2014-08-31_0106Good job by the Sunday Telegraph today which had logged the number of commercials we are copping on Free to Air.

It surveyed TEN (Melb), Seven (Melb), and Nine (Syd) last Sunday August 24 between 6.30pm and 9.30pm, for non-show content, excluding news and weather breaks, but including station promos.

TEN broadcast aired the most ads (132) over the longest period (46 minutes) last Sunday night. There were 96 paid ads, plus 36 in-house advertisements / promos.

Seven aired 91 paid ads, plus 22 in-house plugs totalling almost 44 minutes. Seven also aired the longest ad break – 4 minutes and 15 seconds.

Nine aired 40 minutes of ads with the most advertisements in a single ad break (13 ads in one four minute break), as well as the highest rate of cross-programming promotion (40 in-house ads in three hours).

The figures don’t include product placements inside shows such as The Block.

Networks can air 15 minutes of “non-program matter” per hour of prime-time (between 6pm and midnight) but it doesn’t include channel promos.

The results come at a time when some networks are pushing to increase the level of ads in primetime.

This week TV Tonight will reveal the results of the annual Audience Inventory detailing further disquiet about ads, programming and industry issues.

17 Responses

  1. @JoshS
    40m US dramas are more commonly being fitted into 58m slots starting at almost 10pm. And they are having trouble selling ads for those. When they run late it’s usually because the show before is running 5-10m over the EPG times.

    The shows that run 75-80m are local talent shows that are edited to fit a slot by filling in the show and UK shows that run 50-60m.

    The ABC stretches 50m UK shows to 60m with promos and news breaks. The 42/3m ones are causing them problems. They are trying starting them 10m past the half-hour to sync better with commercial change-overs or later at night they finish 5-10minutes before the half hour.

    SBS manages stretch Master of Sex, which runs over 50m to 62.5m (including showing the end credits).

  2. I decided to watch Dr No on Saturday night. We saw about 3 minutes of movie then 5 minutes of ads. It was painful to watch. I ended up recording most of it and watching it later. Free to Air is in a downward spiral. They need more ads to survive financially but more ads drive the viewers away. How long until it all implodes?

  3. In the 70s & 80s Kerry Packet decreed that Nine would not have more than 3 ads per break. Admit they were usually 30-secs.
    It’s time advertisers started to protest. I know of two local companies who no loner advertise on WIN/SCTEN/Prime due to their ads simply being lost amongst the clutter. Viewers knowing a break will run for, say, 4mins. just find other things to do. And what’s with the new thing of same products in same break? 2 or 3 different car/fast food/ insurance/health fund ads back to back?

  4. Pertinax, those 42 minute shows are slotted into 75-80 minute slots. Half the viewing time of an episode is advertising.

    Stuff that. High definition, ad free. Not hard to get, regardless of what the government tries to do. Hell, people can pay a small monthly fee to get that online. A legal grey area sure, but geoblocking is solely done to keep prices high and access segregated. The number of Australians doing this is increasing, suggesting that they are, in fact, willing to pay for content.

    Even with streaming online in Australia, it looks like we are getting a 7, 9 and 10 network online. No-one is going to pay $10 a month to each.

    The networks refusal to move with the times is sad.
    Their steadfast refusal to accept it is infuriating.

  5. While 10 may have aired the most, this study fails to take note of the single ad duration, as well as differentiating between the total duration for ads and promos.

  6. I stopped watching live to air TV about a year ago now and this is why. If they successfully get their 20 minutes of adverts per hour I can see more and more people switching off.

  7. US network shows are being made at 40m and even stuff like Wonderland is under 42m in length. So there is going to be 18-20m per hour of other stuff during dramas and comedies even on pay TV.

    Increasing the number of ads will likely just decrease the amount of advertising that isn’t counted as ads at the moment.

    With TV ad rates decreasing as internet advertising grows and the <55 audience declines the Networks are looking for more ads to increase revenue because there doesn't seem to any sign a recovery in retail sales and advertising.

  8. So TEN are complaining about not having more yet they air the most. What a cop out. Personally ads bug everyone. If anything we should have less ads not more but that will never happen. I’m over them all especially that stupid Allianz ad.

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