Comparing commercial time during games

CFL Talk
1

To satisfy my own curiousity, and to help pass the time with a broken fibula, I put a stopwatch on the commercial time for 3 different games on 3 different networks. I wanted to see how much time was spent watching commercials in an NFL game compared to a CFL game. From opening kickoff to the final whistle here are the results. (I also included the commercials
during the half time show.)

Sunday, Oct 7, Ham @ Mtl on CBC. Game time = 3:08, commercial time = 34 minutes.

Sunday, Oct 14, Sask @ Ham on TSN. Game time = 2:54, commercial time = 37 minutes.
(Actually the game time was surprisingly short considering the mini-brawl.)

Sunday, Oct 14, N.E. @ Dal on CBS. Game time = 3:29, commercial time = 48 minutes.

That one NFL game had almost 30 more minutes of dead time then the average of the 2 CFL games. No wonder those NFL games seem to drag on at times.

2

I'm surprised the commercial times between CBC and TSN is so close. It always seems like CBC plays twice as many commercials.

3

Wow thats 22 30 second spots of commercials

4

TSN and CBC have to be close...they are regulated by CRTC in terms of the amount of commericial air time they can have.

5

I'm not surprised. Usually in the NFL Its Convert, Commericial, Kickoff, Commercial. I know they have more commercial time than the CFL.

6

The NFL needs a lot more commercial time in order for the networks to pay the ridiculous TV contract to the league.

The CFL, as a gate-driven league, has a much smaller TV contract, which means they can do it with fewer commercials.

I agree, though, that the CBC does seem to run so many more commercials than TSN does. Is it possible that the CBC runs more blocks of commercials, with fewer commercials in each one?

7

The CBC utilizes a few more short commericals...the 20 second spot.

8

As bad as it is on TV, it has to be all the more worse at the game. I think it is worse when your at the game waiting for what seems like an eternity. I think the flow of the game is interrupted more for the fans at the stadium.

Like someone already mentioned, it's the timing that counts as well. The NFL has their convert then commercial, then kickoff and then another set of commercials.

9

You are right Mike, in fact this weekend, they missed a play because they were slow comming back to the game!

10

I believe the CRTC only allows 12 minutes fo commercial time within any given hour. According to my BCIT Prof.

You can bet they use it all.

11

You also have to realize that with the Dallas/NE game, that was THE regular season game of the year probably... MORE $$$

12

While I agree it is probably one of THE NFL games of the regular season, I still think it is probably on average with the commercial times in most NFL games.

13

… i believe tsn did the same thing in the Bomber/Stamp game…totally missed a play…no biggy’…but can’t these networks get some variation in their commercials…If i have to watch those three guys sitting at computers , moaning …Take it On the Run Baby , one more time…I’m gonna have to drink half- of my bottle of Gibsons just to make it to the end of the game… :wink: :lol:

14

Ideally, after drinking your bottle of Gibsons, you would body slam each of those three...just like on the commercial.

15

I like those guys, gonna stay at the Holiday Inn next time I go somewhere.

16

Well its kind of hard to blame the network for what the company paying for the time wants to put on. I agree that more variety would be nice, but at $500,000 to a $million or so a pop to produce the ads, few companies are going to do a large number of ads, plus consistency is a major part of a sales campaign…

17

Good point, leeinq. It’s just that the ‘take it on the run’ commercial is sooooo annoying. Now on the other hand, I still get a chuckle everytime I see the Gibsons ‘Sack’ commercials.