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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: 1) by snufu on Thursday November 12 2015, @08:44PM
They were called "broadcasters" for a reason, they controlled the content you received. It was "push" model with a limited number of private commercial broadcasters holding all the power. You either accepted the broadcast as is and sat through ads or you got nothing.
The internet changed everything. It is now a "pull" model where the viewer has all the power. The "younger viewers" have grown up in a world where they have choices and were never "trained" on the push model. "An ad? Screw that, I'm gonna watch that independent series on this other site with no ads."
More power to them. Perhaps this will raise the level of respect for audiences and the quality of content (think BBC) rather than pandering to the lowest common denominator for ratings.