Depending on what channel you flip on the television, or which service is used when streaming online the number of commercials is often extreme. Although it is possible to pay to have the commercials removed whether using traditional television or online services or to be able to fast-forward through them it's not always worth the added cost.
Some channels play the same commercials on repeat, while other channels have a little more variety. The situation is understandable as it is a pay to play system. Companies have to pay to produce the commercial first and then again for every slot it is shown. With the costs associated with the production alone, to get a semi-decent commercial probably takes at least $10,000. Then to get a time slot on a local channel is probably another $10,000 depending on the time of day it is shown.
Part of the reason we see a lot of the same commercials on repeat is that of the buying power of the company that produced it as well as the time of day or the popularity of the channel. If you are watching old movies on a channel whose viewership is most people around age 60 and older most of the commercials are going to be about medical procedures, life insurance, or at home healthcare which is a primary factor in the lack of variety.
None of the commercials are all too interesting for most people outside the 60 and up demographic because the company knows to get the attention of their target audience.
On these channels specifically, the constant replay of extremely boring commercials is a way to ensure that everyone sees and remembers the commercial. It becomes annoying, however, when those of us who have no need for catheters or life insurance sit through the same commercial at least three times during a one hour time period. I know that I have at least three of them memorized at this point, and I am not the only one.
On channels where the audience changes more drastically throughout the day, there are a wider variety of commercials meant to reach the extremes of each target audience. For those of us with luck we always catch the same few boring commercials, and they aren't always Superbowl quality.
I wouldn't mind commercials as much if they only came at the end of the beginning of programs and were actually of some sort of quality. There is no need for five commercial breaks of at least two minutes long in the duration of one 30 minute show. Also, commercials in the middle of movies ruin the flow of plot and action.
If we have to live in a world with commercials can there at least be quality and variety? Even though its a pay to play the system and its companies with the larger investment power that get more time on the screen, maybe they should be challenged to make their commercials more enjoyable to watch. It would likely increase the number of people who stay on a channel instead of flipping back and forth and has the potential to boost sales.
