Long or short advert breaks

In uk.media.tv.misc Paul Hyett wrote:
On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 at 12:15:35, Paul Heslop
wrote in uk.media.tv.misc :

The watchdog cautioned that viewers had complained about instant
breaks being introduced during the American imports Lost and The West
Wing by Channel 4, within seconds of an episode beginning. However,
Ofcom said it believed that ?allowing flexibility for the timing of
breaks is likely to be welcomed by viewers as it would allow breaks to
be timed to suit the content of programmes?.

IMO, this would be the biggest own goal since Gerald Ratner...

It's that kind of mind bending stupidity that leads me to only ever record
some programs on Ch4 so that the constant breaks can be FF'ed over. So the
result is I see far fewer Ch4 ads than I would if they stuck to a break
every 15 minutes or so.

However, we reserve the ultimate hate for Ch4 and ITV when they avoid using
an obvious pre-planned program break point for one that is only a few
seconds before or after the point.

--
Clarence Darrow:I don't believe in God because I don't
believe in Mother Goose.

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 at 22:45:19, Paul Heslop
wrote in uk.media.tv.sky :

allan tracy wrote:


I don't know if it's a secret but I watched a really good drama last
night with no advert breaks at all! It's not the first either! This
channel, though obscure, may be available if you fine tune your
Freeview box. It was called BBC2.

All of SKY's film subscription channels are advert free as well.

well, DURING the movies.

If they tried putting adverts in *those*, they'd surely lose a lot more
in lost subs, than they'd gain from extra ad revenue!
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 at 18:06:44, Edster wrote in
uk.media.tv.sky :

allan tracy wrote:


Long advert breaks allow viewers to get up a do something else and are
far more likely to be fast forwarded when watching a recording.

A smart advertiser would make adverts that can still get their message
across when watched at 12x speed with no sound. (30x fast forward
doesn't work because you are often a few minutes into the programme
before you notice the adverts are finished).

Are there any DVD/HDD recorders that allow automatic chaptering in
conveniently ad-break sized periods? Five minutes is usually a little
too long - maybe 3 minutes...
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett

Edster wrote:
JohnB wrote:


On 20 Mar, 11:52, Krustov wrote:
uk.media.tv.misc
Jeff Lawrence
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:43:25 -0700 (PDT)


How about no ad breaks? That works for me. If only there were TV
channels offering such a thing

For your plan to work - said channel would need to show good tv
shows and good films - and not wall to wall drivel and soap opera
****e .

--www.krustov.co.uk

I don't know if it's a secret but I watched a really good drama last
night with no advert breaks at all! It's not the first either! This
channel, though obscure, may be available if you fine tune your
Freeview box. It was called BBC2.

BBC2 has advertising banners just before the end of every programme.

Yeah, so? Not the same thing /at/ /all/.

--
Carl Waring
DigiGuide:
Full: http://getdigiguide.com/?p=1&r=1495
Freeview (free): http://getdigiguide.com/?p=4&r=1495
Web-based: http://getdigiguide.com/?p=3&r=1495

Ar wrote:
On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:43:25 -0700, Jeff Lawrence wrote:

What do you lot prefer - and why .

- long advert break ?

- short advert break ?

How about no ad breaks? That works for me. If only there were TV
channels offering such a thing.

Well, don't mention the BBC because they have ad breaks as well, and
even adverts within programming - product placements.

Not on any of their channels that I watch; which is all of them
occasioanlly, except Cbeebies!

--
Carl Waring
DigiGuide:
Full: http://getdigiguide.com/?p=1&r=1495
Freeview (free): http://getdigiguide.com/?p=4&r=1495
Web-based: http://getdigiguide.com/?p=3&r=1495

Paul Hyett wrote:

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 at 22:45:19, Paul Heslop
wrote in uk.media.tv.sky :

allan tracy wrote:


I don't know if it's a secret but I watched a really good drama last
night with no advert breaks at all! It's not the first either! This
channel, though obscure, may be available if you fine tune your
Freeview box. It was called BBC2.

All of SKY's film subscription channels are advert free as well.

well, DURING the movies.

If they tried putting adverts in *those*, they'd surely lose a lot more
in lost subs, than they'd gain from extra ad revenue!
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett

I would hope so.
--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

Carl Waring wrote:

Ar wrote:
On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:43:25 -0700, Jeff Lawrence wrote:

What do you lot prefer - and why .

- long advert break ?

- short advert break ?

How about no ad breaks? That works for me. If only there were TV
channels offering such a thing.

Well, don't mention the BBC because they have ad breaks as well, and
even adverts within programming - product placements.

Not on any of their channels that I watch; which is all of them
occasioanlly, except Cbeebies!

They aren't blatant Carl, but unlike days of old where they had make
believe stuff they tend to use the real thing now. It's quite well
known they do product placement, though this article says otherwise

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pre.../product.shtml



--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

Mike Henry wrote:

It stinks, doesn't it? I think they realised that many people now are
so lethargic they can get away with anything

What I find particularly galling is that it isn't one or more channels
petitioning Ofcom for this change, as ITV did when it wanted to move the
news, then move it back on condition it could show more ads. No - Ofcom
itself is proposing this!

which is why you have to wonder who is greasing whose palms

--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

On 21 Mar 2008 07:04:17 GMT, wrote:

It's that kind of mind bending stupidity that leads me to only ever record
some programs on Ch4 so that the constant breaks can be FF'ed over. So the
result is I see far fewer Ch4 ads than I would if they stuck to a break
every 15 minutes or so.

This is exactly why Ofcom are proposing that channels can put the
breaks where they like. At the moment the rule is that if a programme
has breaks in it, they must be at least 20 minutes apart. That means
for a 46 minute show like The West Wing, you HAVE to have a break
after the first few minutes so that you can then have your next break
at 20 and a further break at 40.

Ofcom are suggesting "put the breaks where you like" which means that
C4 would actually be able to put the breaks at, say, 15, 30 and 45,
more evenly-spaced throughout the programme.

Of course the REST of what Ofcom are proposing seems to be some kind
of bizarre self-destructive attempt to let channels fill their
schedules with more commercials, more often, in more places, even
during programmes. But then Ofcom has really displayed its stripes in
recent weeks as the useless regulator it is. ("We told ITV not to do
that and they said they'd do it anyway. By letting us send them a
letter, they've complied with the law so we can't stop them doing it.
Sorry.")

--

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:08:46 GMT, Paul Heslop
wrote:

They aren't blatant Carl, but unlike days of old where they had make
believe stuff they tend to use the real thing now. It's quite well
known they do product placement, though this article says otherwise

You only need to watch the programmes to see the commercial
influences. "I know, let's set this scene in a corner shop. Make sure
you get the PAL DOG FOOD cans in shot. Great. Now let's do an
interior. Make sure you get those KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES right in the
middle of the table."

--