tv commercials

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.

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.

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.

Most people settle onto the couch and flip on the TV in order to unwind and relax. We have our favorite shows and there are even certain commercials that make us smile. (C'mon, we know you laughed out loud when you saw Old Spice's "I'm on a Horse" commercial for the first time or when Betty White...

John W. Scherer may be the "Video Professor" on infomercials that are a ubiquitous part of cable television. In real life, he was an indifferent student. "I would get bored easily," said the 62-year-old born entrepreneur, whose first venture as a child was selling Christmas cards. "I was more...