Why do we have commercials?

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DudeNtheRoom

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#1 DudeNtheRoom
Member since 2010 • 1276 Posts

A freind of mine brought this up the other day. We don't pay for radio so they have commercials. We pay for satelite radio so there are no commercials. So why do TV sations that are on cable....which we pay for, have commercials. Seems like we shouldn't when you think about it.

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jerk-o-tron2000

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#2 jerk-o-tron2000
Member since 2007 • 10036 Posts

So mindless peopns will know what to purchase.

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194197844077667059316682358889

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#4 194197844077667059316682358889
Member since 2003 • 49173 Posts

A freind of mine brought this up the other day. We don't pay for radio so they have commercials. We pay for satelite radio so there are no commercials. So why do TV sations that are on cable....which we pay for, have commercials. Seems like we shouldn't when you think about it.

DudeNtheRoom
Aside from premium channels, you do not pay for individual basic cable channels, and they each get a fairly small amount of revenue to be included in cable packages. Comparing it to radio, surely you can see that producing radio content is, uh, a little bit cheaper than producing filmed content?
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Dark__Link

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#5 Dark__Link
Member since 2003 • 32653 Posts
The money you're paying doesn't go to networks or shows, at least not a significant amount of it. It goes to service providers (Comcast, DirecTV, etc.). You don't pay for TV, you pay to see TV.
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Rheiken

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#6 Rheiken
Member since 2009 • 677 Posts
So that broadcasting networks get paid.
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funsohng

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#7 funsohng
Member since 2005 • 29976 Posts
In Korea, we usually don't have those annoying in-between commercials that break up the show.
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194197844077667059316682358889

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#8 194197844077667059316682358889
Member since 2003 • 49173 Posts
In Korea, we usually don't have those annoying in-between commercials that break up the show.funsohng
Out of curiosity, are the networks there private or government-run?
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Gibsonsg527

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#9 Gibsonsg527
Member since 2010 • 3313 Posts

Money, Money, Money and Money

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KHAndAnime

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#10 KHAndAnime
Member since 2009 • 17565 Posts
[QUOTE="Dark__Link"]The money you're paying doesn't go to networks or shows, at least not a significant amount of it. It goes to service providers (Comcast, DirecTV, etc.). You don't pay for TV, you pay to see TV.

This. :) Advertising makes the world go round. These forums wouldn't even exist if people couldn't advertise all over them.
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cd_rom

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#11 cd_rom
Member since 2003 • 13951 Posts
You're paying the television providers for the packages. The networks don't get any of that (or maybe very little). Television also costs a lot more to produce. It's kind of like how people complain that ads are appearing in video games now. "Why do we buy a game to only have ads in them?" they ask. I reply "Those ads are preventing that $60 game from becoming an $100 game". Also basic networks like ABC are free.
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Aspen706

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#12 Aspen706
Member since 2010 • 4560 Posts
So the the rich can get richer.
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UT_Wrestler

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#13 UT_Wrestler
Member since 2004 • 16426 Posts
Basic cable stations get very little of the money you pay for cable, most of their profit comes from advertising.
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XilePrincess

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#14 XilePrincess
Member since 2008 • 13130 Posts
Same reason we have ads on the internet. The networks/websites need to keep afloat somehow.
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funsohng

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#15 funsohng
Member since 2005 • 29976 Posts
[QUOTE="funsohng"]In Korea, we usually don't have those annoying in-between commercials that break up the show.xaos
Out of curiosity, are the networks there private or government-run?

2 privates, and one (which have two main subsidiaries on basic cable) government funded (or it was before, it's almost private company tho I think). Then there are quite a lot of private channels in premium cable, but a bulk of them are actually under the aforementioned 3 companies in one way or another. Korea is literally the country of monopolies. You know, Samsung (you know, the guys that make electronics like cellphones and mps3) makes cars, have a mass grocery store chain that actually drove out Wal-Mart, operates its own insurance and financial subsidiary (freaking huge), owns a lot of food suppliers, has huge influence in heavy industries, etc, in Korea. And these monopolies (the broadcasting stations too) are usually tied to politics in very intimate ways.
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DudeNtheRoom

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#16 DudeNtheRoom
Member since 2010 • 1276 Posts
Interesting stuff. At the time, it really boggled my mind. I knew there would be a logical reason, but in theory, it sounded like a stable comparison.
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harashawn

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#17 harashawn
Member since 2008 • 27620 Posts
Companies pay radio stations to advertise their pruducts or what have you. That's how they make money.
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mems_1224

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#18 mems_1224
Member since 2004 • 56919 Posts
[QUOTE="Dark__Link"]The money you're paying doesn't go to networks or shows, at least not a significant amount of it. It goes to service providers (Comcast, DirecTV, etc.). You don't pay for TV, you pay to see TV.

word, the only reason tv shows exist in the first place is to show commercials lol
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DudeNtheRoom

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#19 DudeNtheRoom
Member since 2010 • 1276 Posts
So if Cable stations don't get any money from the cable company, how do stations like HBO and such stay in business?
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194197844077667059316682358889

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#20 194197844077667059316682358889
Member since 2003 • 49173 Posts
So if Cable stations don't get any money from the cable company, how do stations like HBO and such stay in business?DudeNtheRoom
Cable stations do get money; HBO is a bad example, however, since it is sold separately as a premium channel. Likewise, cable and satellite providers pay various channels that they carry licensing/subscription fees. However, when there are a zillion channels and you are paying $50 a month or whatever, and the cable company takes the lion's share of that, there's not a lot to spread around to each of the zillion channels.
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Vangaurdius

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#21 Vangaurdius
Member since 2007 • 671 Posts

Well, if you would stop touching yourself at night we wouldn't have any of these commercials.

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-Big_Red-

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#22 -Big_Red-
Member since 2006 • 7230 Posts
So we know what's on the market.
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#23 quadraleap
Member since 2004 • 36581 Posts
With heaven comes hell.
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MagnumPI

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#24 MagnumPI
Member since 2002 • 9617 Posts

There was a time when cable TV didn't have commercials, but since the majority of subscribers were morons and kept paying for cable once it became commercialized we now PAY money to watch commercials. That's right the moron consumers are the reason why you pay to receive advertisement funded cable TV. I remember when cable didn't have commercials. You have to pay for it because all of those other NOT smart people pay for it.

Now if people were to just cancel their subscriptions when the advertisements began the cable would be asking why. So would tell them.. "I'm not paying for if cheerios and Pepsi are paying for it. Either I pay or they pay." Evidently people are not that bright. They **** it all up for everyone else.

It's even hitting the Internet. Advertisements are integrated into pages. Luckily my virus software removes most of it, as if it was never place there to begin with.

Remember the old schoolpop-up bombardment? That was horrible.

Satalite TV is the new cable, but if the stupidity of the general consumer wrecked cable it won't be long until they wreck satalite TV. Within 10-15 years enough dumbass consumers will continue to pay for satalite TV once it becomes commercialized. Which means it will becommercialized because the majority of the consumers will be suggesting" Go ahead, we will keep paying for it, we are too stupid to know any better." We will all be paying for it thanks to jerks who refuse to stop paying for it once theproviders begin airing commercials.

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Evil_Saluki

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#25 Evil_Saluki
Member since 2008 • 5217 Posts

Put it this way, if we have to pay more for the Internet, say for example we have to pay a certain amount a year for the privilage to view Gamespot, then say they have about million subscribers, they will STILL have commercials. It's more money to them.

Although Gamespots adverts don't really bother me since they are game related and this is all about the games.

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surrealnumber5

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#26 surrealnumber5
Member since 2008 • 23044 Posts

A freind of mine brought this up the other day. We don't pay for radio so they have commercials. We pay for satelite radio so there are no commercials. So why do TV sations that are on cable....which we pay for, have commercials. Seems like we shouldn't when you think about it.

DudeNtheRoom
because you pay your cable provider not the station, unless its HBO or the playboy channel and they only have ads that promote their shows
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Palantas

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#27 Palantas
Member since 2002 • 15329 Posts

I've wondered that myself, however...

Aside from premium channels, you do not pay for individual basic cable channels, and they each get a fairly small amount of revenue to be included in cable packages. Comparing it to radio, surely you can see that producing radio content is, uh, a little bit cheaper than producing filmed content?

xaos

...this seems reasonable.

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deactivated-5f9e3c6a83e51

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#28 deactivated-5f9e3c6a83e51
Member since 2004 • 57548 Posts

Because networks sell commercial time slots to make money.

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Devouring_One

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#29 Devouring_One
Member since 2004 • 32312 Posts
The stations makes a lot of money from it. The companies hope that by instilling the idea of their company in your minds, you'll buy stuff from them.
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#30 surrealnumber5
Member since 2008 • 23044 Posts
The stations makes a lot of money from it. The companies hope that by instilling the idea of their company in your minds, you'll buy stuff from them.Devouring_One
or that they make a product that you would want but you wont get if you dont know about it. corporations are not trying to brainwash you, aside from apple and debeers
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surrealnumber5

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#32 surrealnumber5
Member since 2008 • 23044 Posts

To pay bills and advertise people's products, ideas, etc. Basically, money. My mother has a degree in communications, so I know a lot about this stuff.

Lilyanne46
they make shows that people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view so they can get more money for ad space so they can make more shows people want to view.....
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comp_atkins

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#33 comp_atkins
Member since 2005 • 38678 Posts
so tivo has something to skip.
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Ghost_702

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#34 Ghost_702
Member since 2006 • 7405 Posts
I believe ads are how shows/networks make money. It would be difficult to continue producing shows with no money, hence commercials.
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tythewarrior

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#35 tythewarrior
Member since 2007 • 289 Posts

If commercials didn't exist,a lot of things we take for granted wouldn't either.

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shoot-first

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#36 shoot-first
Member since 2004 • 9788 Posts

They like to brainwash their viewers into buying pointless garbage.

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194197844077667059316682358889

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#37 194197844077667059316682358889
Member since 2003 • 49173 Posts

They like to brainwash their viewers into buying pointless garbage.

shoot-first
Yes, because if you see something advertised on TV, you MUST buy it!
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mems_1224

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#38 mems_1224
Member since 2004 • 56919 Posts

They like to brainwash their viewers into buying pointless garbage.

shoot-first
whats pointless to you may be important to someone else. lots of people see video games as pointless garbage....or anime
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Cruse34

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#39 Cruse34
Member since 2009 • 4468 Posts

some channels you pay extra for like HBO or Oasis and theres no commercials on them

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MagnumPI

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#40 MagnumPI
Member since 2002 • 9617 Posts

Put it this way, if we have to pay more for the Internet, say for example we have to pay a certain amount a year for the privilage to view Gamespot, then say they have about million subscribers, they will STILL have commercials. It's more money to them.

Although Gamespots adverts don't really bother me since they are game related and this is all about the games.

Evil_Saluki

Exactly and since people pay for a commercial sponsoredservices they continue toencourage it. When commercials begin appearing the first thing I do is cancel the service.

It's simple. advertisers want to place ads there because people are there, but if everyone cancels their subscriptions advertisers will no long want to place ads there, because no viewers = no point/no profit. Then the people who offer the service will have no choice but to once again offer a commercial free service to get people to order the service again. Because if they don't generate money they will be in debt. Thecustomers candictates the service, but it seems the customers aren't bright enough to realize this, so the provider does the dictating.

It just goes back to the fact that stupid people ruin everything for everyone else. It never fails. Why do you think we have laws? Because stupid people ruined it for the rest of us. They ruin everything.

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194197844077667059316682358889

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#41 194197844077667059316682358889
Member since 2003 • 49173 Posts

[QUOTE="Evil_Saluki"]

Put it this way, if we have to pay more for the Internet, say for example we have to pay a certain amount a year for the privilage to view Gamespot, then say they have about million subscribers, they will STILL have commercials. It's more money to them.

Although Gamespots adverts don't really bother me since they are game related and this is all about the games.

MagnumPI

Exactly and since people pay for a commercial sponsoredservices they continue toencourage it. When commercials begin appearing the first thing I do is cancel the service.

It's simple. advertisers want to place ads there because people are there, but if everyone cancels their subscriptions advertisers will no long want to place ads there, because no viewers = no point/no profit. Then the people who offer the service will have no choice but to once again offer a commercial free service to get people to order the service again. Because if they don't generate money they will be in debt. Thecustomers candictates the service, but it seems the customers aren't bright enough to realize this, so the provider does the dictating.

It just goes back to the fact that stupid people ruin everything for everyone else. It never fails. Why do you think we have laws? Because stupid people ruined it for the rest of us. They ruin everything.

How do you expect shows to survive without advertising? Are you really eager for your cable/satellite bill to triple or more? It's not being done, as you suggest, because "stupid people" allow themselves to be double-dipped. It's because there are several times more channels than there were 10-15 years ago and the subscription fees you pay for your cable or whatever can't support all of those. Your suggestion in the second paragraph would just lead to 75%+ of all basic cable networks folding.