TV By The Numbers has an article on how NBCUniversal will be cutting back on the number of commercials that viewers see in primetime in 2018-2019. The change is scheduled to begin in the fall of this year. Shows across NBCU’s various channels, including the USA Network, will feature around 20% fewer ads along with a 10% reduction in commercial time.
It was noted that viewers might see 2 or 3 longer commercials instead of 5 thirty second ads during a break. NBCU is also promoting a “Prime Pod” for advertisers – a 60 second ad break in the first or last commercial of a show, which will be sold to one or two advertisers. It was also noted that a 10% reduction in commercial time could mean an increase of 2-4 minutes in episode length.
