As advertisers and agencies prepare to invest billions of dollars in upfront commercial advertising time for the 2006-07 season, clutter and its effect on advertising engagement will once again be on
their minds. And the 2006 edition of an annual study released this morning by MindShare is unlikely to put them at ease. The study, MindShare's so-called Clutter Watch, finds, not surprisingly, that
the problem is growing worse, not better, with broadcast and cable networks reaching the highest levels of prime-time commercialization ever. The report, which is based on an analysis of 2005
prime-time commercial minutes and non-programming (commercials, promos, PSAs and station IDs) minutes data from TNS, found that commercial minutes on the broadcast networks rose 2 percent over 2004,
while cable networks rose even more - nearly 5 percent.
"The current data on clutter is disturbing," stated Debbie Solomon, group research director at MindShare and author of the
report, which MindShare has been conducting ever since the American Association of Advertising Agencies abandoned its own annual analysis several years ago. "It highlights the continuing concerns
about the messaging and communications value of the TV environment caused by the increasing number of distracting elements present in prime-time."
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However, Solomon noted that
"not all broadcast and cable networks are to blame, some - and we praise them - have held their clutter in check."
ABC's commercial time, in fact, was flat at 12 minutes and 44
second per average prime-time hour, while NBC actually declined five percent to 12 minutes and 5 seconds per hour. NBC's declines, however, may reflect waning demand as the network continues to
plummet in prime-time ratings.
While Fox added the most commercial minutes - rising 7 percent to 12 minutes and 55 seconds per hour - it cutback on total non-programming time, making it
the only broadcast network to do so last year.
One factor that should help mitigate prime-time broadcast commercial clutter, is the consolidation of UPN and WB into CW, though News Corp.
simultaneously will ad My Network TV.
On the cable front, MTV continued to be the worst offender, squeezing 21 percent additional commercial minutes per prime-time hour, and raising its
total non-programming time 18 percent to a record 16 minutes and 13 seconds per hour - about two-and-a-half minutes more than 2004, according to the MindShare analysis.
Broadcast Prime Time
Network Commercial
Minutes |
2004 | 2005 | INDEX |
10:21 | 10:12 | 98 |
9:45 | 8:54 | 91 |
9:16 |
9:43 | 105 |
8:49 | 9:47 | 111 |
8:43 | 8:55 | 102
|
7:15 | 7:52 | 101 |
Total Commercial Minutes |
12:46 | 12:44 | 100 |
12:40 | 12:05 | 95
|
12:03 | 12:13 | 101 |
12:05 | 12:55 | 107 |
12:23 | 12:49 | 104 |
11:06 | 11:40 | 105 |
Total Non-Program Minutes |
15:21 | 15:26 | 101 |
15:01 | 15:01 | 100 |
14:15 | 14:52 | 104 |
15:06 |
15:00 | 99 |
14:34 | 15:10 | 104 |
13:49 | 14:26 | 104 |
Source: MindShare analysis of 2005 TNS data.
Cable Prime Time
Total Commercial Minutes |
| 2004 | 2005 | INDEX |
CNN | 9:56 | 11:25 | 115 |
DISC | 9:58 | 11:07 | 111
|
ESPN | 9:41 | 12:38 | 106 |
FNEW | 9:41 | 11:32
| 119 |
LIFE | 12:18 | 13:37 | 107 |
MSNB | 12:00 | 12:13 | 102
|
MTV | 9:53 | 11:57 | 121 |
TNT | 10:09 | 10:38
| 105 |
USA | 12:03 | 12:33 | 104 |
SPK | n/a | 12:20 | n/a |
Total Non-Program Minutes |
CNN | 13:22 | 13:50 | 103
|
DISC | 14:48 | 15:28 | 104 |
ESPN | 11:45 | 12:15
| 104 |
FNEW | 12:25 | 13:26 | 108 |
LIFE | 14:45 | 15:42 | 106
|
MSNB | 14:45 | 14:58 | 101 |
MTV | 13:46 | 16:13
| 118 |
TNT | 13:43 | 13:48 | 101 |
USA | 15:06 | 15:43 | 104
|
SPK | n/a | 15:28 | n/a |
Source: MindShare analysis of 2005 TNS data.