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Getbig Misc Discussion Boards => E-Board - Movies, Music, TV, Videogames, Comics => Topic started by: Hugo Chavez on July 02, 2009, 03:15:40 AM

Title: Would you pay for no commercials?
Post by: Hugo Chavez on July 02, 2009, 03:15:40 AM

Just curious, would you pay a bigger TV bill if every program on every channel was commercial free?  If so, how much of a bigger bill? 

Title: Re: Would you pay for no commercials?
Post by: BayGBM on July 02, 2009, 07:56:21 AM

It’s funny you should pose that question.  When I was a kid, I remember when cable TV was just a rumor; and I specifically remember people posing the question, “why would I pay to watch TV when I can watch it for free?”

The sales pitch, at the time, was that unlike broadcast TV, cable programs would be commercial free!  You (the customer) were paying to watch the programs, hence there was no need for commercial sponsors.  It sounded good in theory.  Alas, it was too good to be true.  Cable arrived and it came with commercials.  Talk about a bait and switch!  Something similar has happened with cable & satellite radio: you are paying to listen to commercials.

I don’t watch much TV these days, but when I do watch, I’m pretty good with the mute button or otherwise tuning out commercials.  So, no, I would not pay more $ to watch commercial free programs. 

The very idea of it represents another bait and switch; commercials are already being woven into television programs in the form of product placement.  Notice on American Idol that all the judges are drinking from visible and conspicuously placed Coca-Cola cups; this sort of thing is happening on sitcoms and other forms of programming.  Product placement has been an official part of the movie business for decades.

You can’t get away from commercials so why pay for the pretense of doing so? 

Do you know where, when, and why television was invented?  It as specifically invented to deliver an audience to advertisers. :-\

Title: Re: Would you pay for no commercials?
Post by: MB_722 on July 02, 2009, 03:38:12 PM

sure, but that also means no product placement/subliminal messaging in the shows I'm watching

Title: Re: Would you pay for no commercials?
Post by: 24KT on July 03, 2009, 08:29:12 PM

There will never be such a thing as TV without commercials.

Television is not about delivering entertainment to an audience,
...it is about delivering an audience to commercial advertisers.

Title: Re: Would you pay for no commercials?
Post by: jerseyhurricane on July 03, 2009, 10:02:37 PM

Thats why I love DVR.