ABC packed roughly 107 spots — or more than 45 minutes of commercial and promotional time — into the two-and-a-half-hour Lost series finale, according to our (very unscientific but pretty reliable) count. Just when the finale would unveil a major plot point, a break would occur featuring anywhere from five to 11 ads and/or sneak peeks for fall shows on ABC. Granted, some of the spots were extremely clever (Target used images of the island’s smoke monster to peddle fire detectors) but numerous, nonetheless.
Though it can (and will) vary depending upon the circumstance, a network typically runs anywhere from 18 to 21 spots — or roughly 9 to 10.5 minutes of commercial time — per hour to accommodate 44 minutes of content (the rest of the time goes to network promos and local ads). Within the first hour of last night’s finale, it appeared that ABC squeezed in roughly 37 ads, along with seven promos for ABC and local programming. HBO got in on the fun later in the broadcast by buying a spot to promote the upcoming season of True Blood. Ad time was also gobbled up by the likes of Home Depot and the iPad.
It’s hardly a surprise that ABC would want to make hay out of the much-anticipated finale: In March, Ad Age reported that the network was expected to charge around $900,000 per 30-second spot during the Lost series ender. A 30-second Lost ad was only selling for a reported $213,000 at the start of the season. Apparently, advertisers are willing to pay a premium in programs with a rabid fan base, according to the article.
“I expected there would be a significant amount of commercials in Lost,” concedes Bill Carroll of Katz TV Group, a media buying firm. ”It didn’t seem like any more than you are seeing in primetime these days. Does there appear to be more commercials on TV? Yeah. Obviously, ABC was able to put in more in the two-and-a-half-hour broadcast.”
Thank God for DVR. I skipped right through all those annoying ads! I did like the Lost Transmissions though.
No kidding! I would have been so annoyed without the DVR. Even with it I noticed how many more commercials there were than usual. Could have been a 2-hour show….
I actually think the length of the show was the reason for the higher number of commercials. If there was ~45 minutes of commercials, then the show’s run time was 1 hour 45 minutes (1:45:38 on Hulu). If it was a two hour show, that would only be 15 minutes of commercials (way underrepresented and a huge loss of revenue). 45 minutes of commercials is 18 minutes per hour. A normal TV hour normally contains 44 minutes of show, 16 minutes of commercial (how the author makes 44+10.5 equal an hour I don’t understand). So, a little over average but not horrible.
the author was just saying that only 9-10.5 minutes of ad time is for commercials specifically programmed by the network, if you read the rest of the sentence she pretty clearly states that the rest of the 16 minutes is used for network promos and local ads
ditto with gg1965. even though i did watch some of the lost inspired commercials (lol)
No kidding! But companies are getting smart though. If it’s worthwhile, make a commercial tied into the show people love and they’ll actually rewind to take a look at it. Companies! If you want people to watch your ad instead of fast forwarding through it, make it an ad they’ll want to watch. (Duh!)
Totally agree! Smallville and Chuck have both done that effectively. And I rewound my Tivo to watch those ads.
Ditto for me. I actually stopped the FF for those Target ads, and I remember that they were ads for Target, so give that ad agency an award. And I also stopped for the “Final Transmissions” which meant I picked up bits of those all important before and after ads. Very clever.
Annoying ads that PAY for the show you’re watching, but okay.
Way too many commercials, but I have been saying that all season.
silly question, I just got a dvr, you can fastforward through commercials while the show is playing (and not only when you are watching a recording)? I tried pushing fast forward, but it wasn’t working…hmm..
You start watching the show 20 minutes into it. Then you can watch and fast forward at the same time. But if you didn’t start early enough you will have to wait for the show to catchup.
You can FF through commercials only if you are watching a show “delayed”–if you paused it first for 10-15 minutes, and then started watching it.
Yeah, this gave me a chance to flip over to Family Guy’s Something Something Dark Side while I waited for my dvr to catch up.
There was only one commercial break in the final half hour and the final 20 minutes were completely commercial free.
The last 10 minutes of “Lost” was horrible. The 3 gazillion commercials was just as bad. It was SHAMEFUL what ABC did to us.
Yup, expected as much – tie between bazillion commercials and that F’n V countdown timer. Blechhh. Fitting ending.
Your math is suspect. How does a network add 9 to 10.5 minutes of advertising to their 44 minute show to get an hour?
That probably doesn’t include the network’s own promotions and local commercials.
Exactly, GeorgiaGirl! I started late and caught up by the end. I have to say the Target commercials were clever, though!
Yes, loved the Target commercials.
The target commercials were the only ones I loved. And I think, didn’t a beer company, like Budlight or something do something like on an island?
Yeah, I think Budlight did a Lost commercial. But I really loved the Target ones, especially the one with the broken keyboard while trying to input the numbers. Maybe I’m used to it, but I didn’t mind the commercials. Most of our lives we’ve had to deal with them, but now with DVR they are apparently one of the major evils in the world
The broken keyboard one was hilarious, especially when you notice the price of the cordless keyboard: twenty-three bucks. That couldn’t have been an accident, lol.
Love the Target ones. Brilliant. They made me rewind cause I thought it was LOST. very smart.
Ha. Joke’s on ABC. In the Cleveland market the broadcast was so garbled you couldn’t even watch the show let alone the commercials. All the advertisers should be requesting refunds from ABC.
I agree it was so bad being in the Cleveland market. I had to wait until this morning to watch it.
Yat another reason for LeBron James to come to New York.
LOL Frank
What are some other reasons? Losing is fun?
I loved the finale, but the commercials almost ruined it for me. It seriously disrupted the storyline and made it difficult to establish continuity. What a poor way to treat an outstanding program!
ABC blows. The commercials were ridiculous. Thank god for DVR. Thanks for making me stay up a half hour late so you can show your hundreds of commercials ABC.
Grow up people! Do you really expect quality programming for free? Like it or not, commercials pay the bills.
I can deal with the number of commercials, but not when then come at 10 minute intervals. NBC does the same thing with Friday Night Lights. Just when you’re getting into the story….oops, time for a break. Then after the 3rd one in the first 1/2 hour you really start to notice that you’re only actually watching the show in 7 minute snippets. I’d rather see 12-15 minutes of story and then have longer breaks.
take it easy with the commercials everyone. They do in fact make it possible for such an amazing and expensive show to be produced for network broadcast.
Well said. A lot of commercials? Big deal. Personally, I appreciated the chance to go to the bathroom, make a sandwich…
Uh, I wasn’t making a sandwich *in* the bathroom…
very funny!!
I agree with Archie, I had time to do the wash while I was watching so I wasn’t complaining. I actually thought the commercials flowed well. I barely noticed them. The only commercials that really stuck out were the ones for the ones for new shows.
I agree, but there were a Superbowl level of commercials. It was insane. And unlike Lost finale, the Superbowl doesn’t have a key moment every five minutes. It was very, very annoying.
And unlike the Superbowl, LOST wasn’t able to pull in a decent audience.
I agree and also they gave me a break from crying
Lost = entertainment for ‘tards.
You are an idiot. Go back to your Two and a Half Men DVDs.
or your Telly Tubbies DVDs!
I am so sorry you weren’t hugged enough as a child.
to Red- I’m sorry your boyfriend left you.
Take a ‘tard to know a ‘tard
go back to your teabagger blogs
Normal commercial TV has a ratio of commercials to program of 1/3 to 2/3. So if you are correct, the 30% of ad time is below average.
It’s normally 44 minutes of “show” per hour. You can verify on Hulu: Glee, for instance, never deviates from 44-45 minutes.
.
Lost is usually 43:30 and it normally runs two minutes long. 43.5 minutes of show per 62 minutes times the 150 minute run time of the finale gives 105.24 minutes of show or… *tada* 45 minutes of commercial. It was perfectly normal for Lost, but the expectations (and the “I wanna see more now” vibe) made it seem like more than normal.
I watch Lost on DVD. I’ll be enjoying this last season commercial free in a bit. The Networks have been busy making their shows unwatchable over the air.
Sorry they don’t have “Packing and Whacking” on network TV.
I’m sure if you could vote for “W” again, you would.
ha ha ha you fools I was spending time with my kids. They will be well rounded with good jobs while yours will be on the streets or low paying jobs. Dont pay homage to hollywood its one part of society we can do without and life will go on.
Guess my job as a successful accountant and my desire to watch LOST completely leaves you completely dumbfounded.
I watched Lost with my children. The oldest is an English Professor, the other is an accountant manager with a global company and I’m an accountant with a small firm. All of us are college grads and I am spending time with my children.
So you’re on the ENTERTAINMENT Weekly website because…?
Fools?
Listen texASSoil better teach your kids how to clean up oil since that’ll be about the only industry left down yonder after you “Dill Baby Drill” fools got ‘yer’ way.
“Clean Baby Clean!”
Cleaning up oil is still considered skilled labor down thar t’ain’t it?
Lighten up Bob. Not everyone can be an awesome, enlightened NY/LA/SF metrosexual like you. Its what makes the world go round, dude.
Hurlster,
I tyhink Y’ALL had better direct your “tsk-tsks” to texASSoil who began attacking Hollywood types as “people we can do without.”
We’d do much better as a country without “Palin” supporters like texASSoil than we would without the creative Hollywood types.
So, spare us your moral indignation until you dispense it in a more even handed manner.
I didn’t say I agreed with the oil guy either. I just chose to ignore him. I do that alot
If you hate Hollywood so much, then why are you on the Entertainment Weekly website?
He’s a texASS child that’s why.
Bet he still thinks the Earth is 6,000 years old and ‘bad humors’ cause illness.
good jobs in the oil industry, polluting our oceans & marine life, texasoil? how’s cleaning up that spill working out for you & your kids?
Yeah, I noticed that there were a lot of commercials, but they did show the last 20 minutes without a break, which is a really long act for network TV.
I realize that commercials pay for programming, But this is rediculous. The network advertisers thinks that everyone will sit there and be captivated by this junk. Thanks for boring us to death, but thanks for ther Tvo
Honestly, other than the Target ones, I don’t remember any of them. Though I agree with J Boyne, the sheer number of interruptions made it difficult to stay engaged.
target pwns!
107? Not 108? C’mon, ABC. Let’s do this right.
heh.
WIN!