C4 seem to be cutting out alot of the ads at programme junctions now.
For a while there have been no ads at all at the 5pm and 6pm junctions around The Paul O'Grady Show, and this week they seem to be cutting them out as much as possible around primetime too - I guess in preperation for Big Brother.
Today at 9pm and earlier in the week for Lost just one actual ad aired, along with some C4 promos.
I expect once Big Brother begins next week and ITV step up their campaign that programmes will run straight into Big Brother at 9pm, and BB itself will be followed immediately by the likes of Lost and Desperate Housewives in the 10pm hour - rather than a 3 minute break full of ads!
I know what you mean. I noticed that they finish alot later, and just in time for the next program. Sometimes DOND even runs too late for Paul O'Grady. I'm not bothered though, I like it that way.
I think part of it is because they want to keep the audience from the previous programme tuned in.. After Deal Or No Deal they regularly go straight from the endcap into the ident, and where viewers would normally have a flick through during the ads they stay with Channel 4.
However Channel 4 still get money if the audience is higher they'll have more people entering the "win a car" comps at £1 an entry... So sometimes it pays, litterally, not to have ads.
Or of course, the viewing figures could be so low that no-one buys any airtime in that space...
It seems to me to be an experiment or a step towards 'accelerated flow' that most of the US and Australian networks have been using for some time. The less 'clutter' between programmes the better, in terms of keeping the viewer tuned to that station.
ETA: Have they introduced more breaks, or longer breaks, during the programmes themselves?
ETA: Have they introduced more breaks, or longer breaks, during the programmes themselves?
No - and they shouldn't need to!
At the moment the basic rules are:
Average 7 mins of ads an hour over 24 hours (6am-6am)
Average 8 mins of ads an hour in primetime (6pm-11pm)
Maximum of 12 mins of ads in an hour
Maximum length of ad break is 3 minutes 30 seconds (+ 20 second trailer)
Therefore, with just three breaks an hour at 3.5 minutes each, that's 10.5 minutes an hour - so primetime would quite easily be covered (even with just a couple of minutes of ads between 7 & 8pm during the news).
The quantity of ads are the same, where previously you would have got an ad break in between programmes with 2 breaks in the hour-long programme, you now get nothing in between programmes, and 3 ad breaks in the hour-long programme; usually with the first ad break within the first 5 minutes of the programme.
Pros and cons are the same but I personally would keep to the more traditional format, less interuption in the actual programme then, won't have a worn out fast-forward button...
The quantity of ads are the same, where previously you would have got an ad break in between programmes with 2 breaks in the hour-long programme, you now get nothing in between programmes, and 3 ad breaks in the hour-long programme; usually with the first ad break within the first 5 minutes of the programme.
There has been three ad breaks within hour-long programmes for the last few years!
One thing we'll probably see more regularly with this method - and they've been doing it occassionally since getting into trouble with OFCOM - is with US programmes the first set of ads will run straight after the titles - about 4 minutes into the programme.
I think part of it is because they want to keep the audience from the previous programme tuned in.. After Deal Or No Deal they regularly go straight from the endcap into the ident, and where viewers would normally have a flick through during the ads they stay with Channel 4.
Bad move to get Deal Or No Deal sponsored then. Especially as they use the exact same sponsorship insert every day.
What C4 are doing is carefully selecting advertisement placement to maximise revenue. Whilst they are bound by the aforementioned regulations on how many/how long per hour, it is good business sense to advertise more during peak viewing and less during the times where the 'big spend' audiences aren't watching. The average ad minutes-per-hour still adhere to the regulations, but they have more flexibility to use advertisers keen on spending prime time fees to advertise during prime slots.
Whilst there are indeed large viewing figures in the Deal or No Deal slot, for example, the viewers are not the ABC Male/Female audiences who are most succeptable to advertising, so it makes sense to target more lucrative slots. Hence the constant mortgage/stairlift/vitamin ads during Countdown... cheaper advertising slots aimed at the core audience at that time of the day. Your Audi, Playstation & Nike advertisers aren't interested in playing their commercials to that type of audience...
...BB itself will be followed immediately by the likes of Lost and Desperate Housewives in the 10pm hour...
Maybe but this week's Desperate Housewives didn't start until 22:05 (after at least 4 mins of ads and trailers) and the first break came just four minutes in at 22:09 (straight after the opening credits).
Average 7 mins of ads an hour over 24 hours (6am-6am)