FOX Adveritising Countdown Clock

Start with the new programming season the FOX network has started using a very small countdown clock in the upper left corner showing how many seconds before the program returns. Additional FOX has reduced its commercial load by 2 minutes per hour. As it counts down it cycles between the network logo and the programme name.

I find it an interesting technique. And I find myself not changing the channel as per normal during the adverts or Im many see how many seconds I have left do something. Kinda smart if you have to run adverts I think. Has a strange psychological effect, that your programme is only seconds away. This only happens during FOX primetime. And the clock only apppears during the network ad breaks. So when you are on a local break. it doesnt appear. But after local adverts are finished then you will see the clock appear.

This is new stategy being employed by FOX.

https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/t-mobile-buys-into-foxs-new-advertising-jaz

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/fox-cuts-commercial-time-down-to-2-minutes-for-every-hour/
https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2018/03/06/fox-aims-to-reduce-ad-time-to-2-minutes-per-hour.html

These kind of countdowns are seen sometimes on European channels, mostly music channels.

In the UK, I've only seen them on (I think) the CSTV channels, possibly the AATW channels too. Abroad, they're a more regular feature on channels like Eska and 4fun.tv.

They're a fairly neat idea though. I do have a nasty habit of channel hopping as soon as a station goes into commercial. Perhaps, if I knew they were coming out of a break in 20 sec or so, I might stick around.

Reducing advertising minutage is probably not a bad idea either. I am sure you can charge more per 30 sec slot if you can prove that people are sticking with you through the breaks. There are many radio stations that should adopt this strategy too.

Most German channels have a countdown to the end of the commercials in their arsenal of on-screen presentation - it doesn't appear to be used all the time, though. I've seen ProSieben with a countdown in the form of a progress bar showing how long until the advert ends.

The only time I've seen a countdown clock in the UK is on All4 on some of their tv apps.

In the UK I know it's been on The Vault and Chart Show TV for a few years now, usually only in the last minute or so.

Colors TV HD had a countdown clock I believe.

Makes life a bit easier when winding past the adverts on the DVR...

Have seen statements from FOX saying they want to cut advertising to 2 minutes an hour over the next few years.

Psychology is a very odd thing and while you may think this won’t work you’d be surprised at how bonkers humans can be sometimes.

They have them on True Movies et al over here, counting down the time until the next movie starts.

I think TRT1 had countdowns in their adverts too.

MTV used to do something similar but it was in the style of a progress bar under the main logo and when it was full there came a break. Can't remember if it appeared during breaks though.

I still think reducing the advert load is probably the way forward in an ideal world, though of course showing them is how these channels make any money. The American system is so ad heavy that I think an an hour slot is only about 40 odd minutes of programme now.