tv commercials

Freedom from Earsplitting Ads: The CALM Act Goes Into Effect

You may not have heard about the CALM Act before, but when you witness the results of the law, which goes into effect today, you'll probably want to applaud loudly. At last, TV commercials can no longer be broadcast at a higher volume than the programs they accompany.

Why Viacom Will Never Be Great Again

If you've been noticing a little bit less of SpongeBob on Nickelodeon, Snooki on MTV, or Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central, it's by design: Viacom is squeezing more commercials into every hour of programming. That's the bad news. The worse news is that it's not working.

PayPal Jumps to TVs With TiVo- Comcast Shopping Collaboration

If you think QVC is a state-of-the-art way to shop through your TV, just wait until you see what PayPal has in store: It's working with TiVo and Comcast on ways to let consumers really engage with commercials, and make transactions possible with a click of your remote.

Oprah's OWN Delivers a Strong Debut for Advertisers

Oprah Winfrey's new cable network is commanding some of the highest ad prices on cable, and it justified those rates with its heavily watched debut. Now, OWN will have to prove it can maintain its viewership levels throughout the year.

Nielsen Report: Many DVR Viewers Play the Commercials

Here's a nice surprise for television advertisers: Digital video recorders are actually increasing, not decreasing, the number of viewers who are watching the commercials. Nearly half of the DVR owners in the critical 18- to 49-year-old age group watch the commercials, which boosts ratings, Nielsen says.

Family-Friendly TV Advertisers Get PTC's 'Green Light'

A conservative TV watchdog group wants consumers to consider patronizing companies that advertise on family-friendly television shows this shopping season, rather than those that buy commercials on racier programs, but price is still likely to be the biggest influence on holiday shoppers.