NBC tests shorter commercial breaks
On the USA Network cable channel, commercial breaks—which had previously lasted between two and four minutes—were shortened to one minute.
US broadcaster NBC Universal is testing whether shorter commercial breaks can make both viewers and advertisers happy. The NBC Group's cable channel USA Network is running a test: the commercial breaks, which previously lasted between two and four minutes, have been shortened to one minute. Only two 30-second spots are shown at a time, as reported by Netzeitung. The trial is intended to show whether the audience pays more attention to the individual commercials with shorter breaks. If the test is successful, advertisers will probably push for shorter commercial breaks. TV stations, on the other hand, could compensate for the losses with higher prices. This could break the long-standing trend of squeezing as much advertising as possible into an hour of television programming.
