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Primetime TV Hour Includes 41% Commercials »
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Primetime TV Hour Includes 41% Commercials

An average hour of monitored prime time US network TV programming in Q109 contained 10 minutes, 35 seconds (10:35) of in-show brand appearances and 13:54 of network commercial messages, according to branded entertainment data from TNS Media Intelligence.

This combined 24:29 of marketing content amounts to 41% of a prime-time hour.

This total represents an increase over  Q408 figures, which showed the average amount of commercial content in a primetime TV hour was 36%, according to TNS.

Reality TV Has Most Ads

Unscripted reality programming had an average of 19:16 per hour of brand appearances, as compared with just 5:31 per hour for scripted programs such as sitcoms and dramas.

Late night network talk shows averaged 11:30 per hour. The combined load of brand appearances and network ad messages in these shows reached 29:40 per hour, or 49% of total programming time.

Losing Weight, Gaining Commercials

Among all monitored network programming during the period, The Biggest Loser: Couples had the highest average volume of brand-appearance time at 48 minutes, 5 seconds (48:05) per hour. Rounding out the top five were Hell’s Kitchen (43:00); American Idol (40:49); Chopping Block (38:54); and Knight Rider (32:10).

About the data: TNS Media Intelligence continuously monitors branded Entertainment within network prime time and late night programming. The tracking identifies brand appearances and measures their duration and attributes. TNS totals do not include local commercial time.