Wizdar

So, I’m watching some TBS. Suddenly, outta center field, comes a speck that gets larger and larger until it becomes a baseball that imbeds itself in the TBS “bug,” as if it was stuck in my TV, complete with damaged glass. A coupla seconds later, a hand reaches up. Maybe it’s the same hand that spray paints “Spike” on that vast wasteland of a channel. Anywho, it reaches up and plucks the offending object from my screen and things return to normal.

On one level, I imagine some think it’s pretty cute.

On another level, I’M WATCHING A FREAKING PROGRAM HERE!! LEAVE ME THE F*** ALONE!!!

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Your turn.

Chew

With the advent of TiVo/Replay, less and less of us are watching commercials, yes? I can only expect the "during-the-program" ads (both subtle and in-your-face) will only get worse.

xVladx

The ads that take up lots of the screen are bad enough, but then there's the ones with sound, which are even worse.

FX had some really bad ones in that regard. Often twice during a single program, there'd be some add for Nip/Tuck, The Shield, or some movie that they were showing that wasn't only big and ugly, but also had some noise that went along with it that was loud enough to not only distract from what was going on in the show, but sometimes completely drown out dialogue.

spainlinx0

I couldn't believe those ads when I first heard them. Why would you RUIN a program on your own network that people are watching in order to promote another one?

Draven

As I ask in every thread on this stuff, how are the networks supposed to pay for these programs? We are all fast-forwarding through the commercials. They have to advertise their shows somehow.

Do I like it? No, it's annoying. I'd rather television be completely paid for by the consumer and do away with commercials altogether.

I predict that within 5 years most channels will run programs on only part of the screen, with the rest constantly taken up with advertisements.

Pistol Pete

At least embed the advertisement in the content of the program. The Olay and Crest products were good examples on Survivor last night. Yes, I know they paid for placement, but at least it fit within the content.

More shows will embed placeholders for product placement. There was a recent example of a soda vending machine on NYPD Blue. It can be swapped out depending on the channels advertising needs.

xVladx

What percentage of TV watching households have PVRs, though? Are PVRs THAT popular?

Not only that, but if anything, I thought most people flipped channels around during commercials anyway. People are only fast-forwarding through commercials on stuff that they've recorded later on, anyway, which they could have done just as well on a VCR years ago.

Personally, I've never seen any overlay advertising that wasn't for another show on the same network, so it's not like this is product advertising that's paying for the show or anything. This is a network using the screen (and speaker) space to cram advertisements for their other shows down our throats.

mikehunt

how is tivoing through a commercial any different than fast forwarding with a vcr or going to the bathroom during it?
makes for a nice excuse by hollywood but it's BS

Draven

It's not any different, in theory.

But Tivos and other PVR devices will only get more prevalent. This is going to become a huge issue in a few years.

Advertisers already pay for their commercial spots and product placement. The animated bugs are so the networks can promote their own programming (more awareness=more viewers=more money.)

Once again, I am not saying that I like this practice. But I'm realistic to know that television is a business, and if it makes money they are going to do it. Unless you are willing to foot the bill yourself you really have no cause to complain.

harpoonipa

Ever see the Simpsons episode were Homer eats the promo?

Wizdar

Well, not yet, anyway. It will come in time. I seem to recall a Nip/Tuck-esque spot on FX for some Fox movie a few months ago. Ads for Draino are just around the corner.

As long as folks are content to make excuses for the nets, this will only get worse. I couldn’t care a fart in a hurricane about the industry’s complaints with fast forwarding. CD sales are plummeting because of downloading. The movie industry is in dire straits because of piracy. And TV’s gonna go down the tubes because of PVRs. Yeah, right.

First they started throwing in teasers during the end credits, and those who complained were ridiculed.

Then they gave us the “bugs” and those who complained were ridiculed.

Then the bugs got animated, and there were more people who complained, but they were still ridiculed.

Now we’ve got all manner of intrusive CRAP to distract from the enjoyment of the program. I’m sure there are even more who find this quite annoying. And there are still those who find the complaints not worthy of note.

What bothers me the most is the biggest offenders seem to be the cable/satellite channels. You know, the ones we have to “foot the bill” in order to watch?

[/rant]

rossi46

I'm right there with you, Wizdar. And anyone who thinks there are that many TiVos out there that the networks need to show those ridiculous in-show ads is crazy.

The worst when it comes to marketing inundation is sports coverage:

We're here at ______ stadium.
Today's starting linup brought to you by ______.
Here's a shot from the special ______ camera.
And now a word from ______.
Coming up next its the movie of the night sponsored by ______.
Thanks to ______ we're going commercial free.

Easy

Exactly. The rap they used to sell cable years ago was "commercial free" and "limited commercial interuption". Now that nearly everyone pays for cable or satellite we not only have more commercials than ever before but also banners and bugs and in-program advertisement. If they don't dial way back on this crap I may just kill the cable and buy dvd sets that look interesting. Hell, it would be cheaper and as a bonus no ads, banners, bugs or bullshit.

Rypro 525

now we get on alias "hey look, the f-150"

Y2K Falcon

Just giving us another reason to buy the DVD.

Breakfast with Girls

What? How is that bad? I would prefer that kind of stuff to giant, animated bugs or commercials. It fits in with the program. They did it all the time before in-between-content commercials became popular.

Wizdar

I have to agree with BwG. Frankly, I've always found that kind of dancing quite funny. And looks funnier when I read it on my Toshiba laptop.

Actually, that kind of stuff dates back to the beginnings of TV, when programs usually had an up-front sponsor, such as The Colgate Palmolive Theater.

At least they were up front about such things then.

Trigger

holy crap - just saw the baseball thing on TBS - It's worse than those flash ads on websites that take over the screen and float around.

Jackskeleton

Video on demand coming, it's no surprise and really, tivoing the ad's is different then fast forwarding them or going to take a piss. You have the control and ability to forward past them. You only had that amount of control if you recorded in advance and then you still had to sit through it in a sense.

Troy Stiffler

Apparently you guys never saw the TNT (or maybe it was FX) shark bug. The bottom third of the screen fills up with water, and a shark comes out of it. Some drops of water got a good half-way up the screen, and there is a splash sound.

Excellent advertising at work, folks! I saw it twenty times, and can't even remember what it was for. Maybe it should have encapsulated the entire screen.

Tazwolff

I stopped watching Nip/Tuck for this very reason. I put up with that damn corner nag for 3 episodes because I was really enjoying the show. But, I got so sick of it, I never returned to that channel ever again. It’s a shame I never got to see the rest of the season. The same goes for the other channels like TBS and such that do this, I programmed them out of my cable box so I can skip right over them.

POWERBOMB

Not much there is to do. If you complain to the network, the network believe's the ad's are working. If you don't complain and the show comes in at respectable viewership numbers, the network believe's the ad's are working.

Still, CBS missed a golden oppurtunity by not using Janet Jackson's Nip shot to turn into the CBS eye.

Breakfast with Girls

Actually, it dates back to radio. Ha, I win!

Jackskeleton

Yes, the Homemark presents and so forth. the only problem with that is programs cost much more now and it would be very difficult for one sponser to front the bill for an entire program and still have it not scream of cheesiness such as the "F-150" comment in alias.

necros

There's only 2 "network" shows I watch, South Park and Chapelle right after.. that's it. I tried watching Kingdom Hospital but gave up on it even though I was kinda liking it, because it's a 35 minute show with 25 minutes of commercials. I'll wait for the DVD. I watch just about all of HBOs shows though, because there's no commercials. There's nothing to interrupt it and you can sit down and enjoy what you're watching, and if you happen to miss it, one of HBO's other channels will be rerunning it the next day usually. No commericals.. That's how network TV should be. But it's also how TV will never be.

I think part of the reason shows on HBO and also Showtime are getting more and more popular isn't only because they're good, people just like their TV without annoying commericals.

Sunday is the best night for TV, Six Feet Under followed by Sopranos followed by Deadwood. And a 3 minute break between em for HBO to use for their promos, just enough time to go pee and get ready for the next show