This puts an actual smile on my face:
Media companies, including Time Warner Inc., 21st Century Fox Inc. and Viacom Inc., have started cutting back on commercials after years of squeezing in as many ads as possible.
The new strategy is an attempt to appeal to younger viewers, who are more accustomed to watching shows ad-free on online streaming services like Netflix Inc., and to advertisers concerned their messages are being ignored amid all the commercial clutter.
Time Warner's truTV will cut its ad load in half for prime-time original shows starting late next year, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bewkes said last week on an earnings call. Viacom has recently slashed commercial minutes at its networks, which include Comedy Central and MTV. Earlier this month, Fox said it will offer viewers of its shows on Hulu the option to watch a 30-second interactive ad instead of a typical 2 1/2-minute commercial break. Fox says the shorter ads, which require viewers to engage with them online, are more effective because they guarantee the audience's full attention.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by jimtheowl on Thursday November 12 2015, @04:47PM
They have tried to 'train' people to accept the increased amount of advertising over decades, and have made it intolerable. Advertising is the main reason I cut the cord, but there is also the crappy programming and the crappy 'news', which aims to 'train' people to think as they wish.
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Thursday November 12 2015, @06:11PM
sudo mod me up
(Score: 3, Insightful) by jimtheowl on Thursday November 12 2015, @06:49PM
The sad part is the show is not free as the cable subscription costs plenty. It used to be that one of the incentives to get cable over TV on the air was the reduced number of commercials, but that is what seems a lifetime ago.
That said, I'm not even in the USA.