# I don't watch commercials **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 4, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769 "2024-09-04T18:24:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/1 "2024-09-04T18:24:50Z")
They seem to bother me more than they do for most people, but I’ve used a simple workaround to avoid seeing over 90% of the ads on TV–I simply record everything, and start watching 10 minutes late (for a one-hour program) and fast forward through the commercials. Unless there’s something extremely timely, like a weather report for a storm I’m going through at the moment, or an assassination attempt or something of that sort, the ten-minute delay doesn’t bother me at all. I can’t think of the last time I watched more than a few seconds of a commercial on TV. Why doesn’t everyone do this? If they did, TV networks would go broke, I suppose, so I should be glad more people don’t. Or maybe they don’t bother others the way do for me? ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/2 "2024-09-04T18:30:30Z")
I detest commercials to the point that I only rarely watch regular cable. In fact I think I’ve watched non-streaming tv twice in the last year, and only because I was in a hotel room with lousy wifi. I watch very little tv, and it’s all ad-free streaming channels. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/3 "2024-09-04T19:42:07Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > I simply record everything, and start watching 10 minutes late (for a one-hour program) and fast forward through the commercials That’s exactly what we do. There’s no other way to get through most shows, especially NFL and MLB. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/4 "2024-09-04T20:00:34Z")
I can say without exaggeration I have seen zero commercials for many years. Will not tolerate them so they are either excised through various means, or skipped. And I fail to understand anyone who does not do this. Ads are irritating and patronizing - of course I won’t allow them. Podcasts ads are always skipped. I even clear my throat if I’m not quick enough when hitting the advance button so I won’t hear who the advertiser is in the first seconds. Online, I have been effectively trained by pop-ups and screen fillers to just ignore and click through to content. I doubt I could identify any ads I’ve seen visually. Every election season I’m baffled at the very concept of political ads. Why would anyone sit through them? Not just for the annoyance factor, but for the outright falsehoods. How I could I possibly think a politician would present accurate information in their own advertisement? This is what print media is for - to tell me about their policies and skip the advertising and rally rhetoric. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/5 "2024-09-04T20:11:18Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > Why doesn’t everyone do this? For the simple reason that I cannot afford basic cable, streaming services, or a DVR service. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/6 "2024-09-04T20:22:45Z")
Lots of people apparently have the tv on in the background all the time. They don’t do “shows” in the normal sense. They must be a majority or at least a sizable minority because the ads wouldn’t run if they didn’t create sales. Frightening, but it’s been that way not just since the beginning of television but the beginning of radio. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/7 "2024-09-04T20:39:23Z")
I often record games I watch almost nothing except sports–baseball and curling) and then fast forward through the ads. Right now I am watching a game live and reading SDMB at the same time, so I ignore commercials. Occasionally, there are commercials I _want_ to watch. The best are the commercials by the Newfoundland tourist board. They are one minute travelogues of the wondrous beauties of NFLD scenery. Another are ads for TD bank consisting of a conversation with a ball player, although it gets tiresome the 10th time through. ---
**Author:** ![Kelby2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@Kelby2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelby2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/8 "2024-09-04T20:47:18Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > > [@GailForce](#): > > > > I simply record everything, and start watching 10 minutes late (for a one-hour program) and fast forward through the commercials > > That’s exactly what we do. There’s no other way to get through most shows, especially NFL and MLB. Though increasingly live sports programs have split-screen advertising while play continues. There are also the frequent voice over commercials made by the announcers. There’s no escaping them entirely, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/9 "2024-09-04T20:55:39Z")
> [@Kelby2](#): > > Though increasingly live sports programs have split-screen advertising while play continues. I was going to post about that in the thread about things that infuriate me. We get mini ads between batters. It’s not like it slows down the game or that I really need to hear the announces babble on for those 15 seconds, but I hate the in-game commercials with a passion. If my hand is on the remote, I’ll fast forward through those. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/10 "2024-09-04T21:42:23Z")
There are some situations where a streaming service plays commercials. Fortunately they have a clock for how long is left. I mute the TV and have a tablet for non-tv stuff. An occasional glance at the clock lets me know how long before I unmute. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/11 "2024-09-04T22:08:11Z")
Eh, I hate them. Mostly. What happened to getting up to pee or get s snack during ads? The ones I skip or mute are St.Jude/Shriners and sad puppy/kittens. And, oh god, Kars for Kids! Noooooooooooo! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/12 "2024-09-04T22:23:11Z")
> [@saje](#): > > I detest commercials to the point that I only rarely watch regular cable. In fact I think I’ve watched non-streaming tv twice in the last year, and only because I was in a hotel room with lousy wifi. > > I watch very little tv, and it’s all ad-free streaming channels. I’m exactly like this, except not a lady and no cats are involved. 😃 As much as I love to be entertained by all our wonderful modern electronic devices, I don’t even have cable because the idea of paying a hefty monthly fee just be annoyed by incessant commercials is just nuts. Broadcasters have screwed themselves by their insatiable greed, where sometimes it seems there’s more commercials than program content – one commercial after another after another, each more obnoxious than the other. No thanks! I don’t even remember the last time the TV was even turned on, but it was months ago, and it was only to watch a movie (without commercials). I do have an antenna for local channels and the occasional hockey game, but mostly I stream movies, and lately have been watching them on my tablet in bed. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m near-sighted and the tablet at close range actually presents a much larger field of view than my TV at a distance. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/13 "2024-09-11T16:16:06Z")
6 posts were merged into an existing topic: [Keyhotea Cornfielded Posts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyhotea-cornfielded-posts/1007125/28) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/14 "2024-09-04T23:23:05Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > Why doesn’t everyone do this? Some people watch TV very passively, and what you describe would require more effort and alertness than they want to expend. This includes people who (as **Exapno\_Mapcase** mentioned) have the TV on in the background, as well as those who veg out with their eyes glued to the screen. > [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1007125/28): > > Nobody likes commercials. Not a single person on the planet likes watching commercials. In general this is true, but there have been threads here on the SDMB where people talk about commercials they actually liked (or at least don’t hate too much) or their favorite Super Bowl commercials. The thing that bothers me most about commercials is seeing (or hearing) the same ones over and over. If I were never exposed to the same commercial more than once, I wouldn’t mind them as much. This makes me wonder if hatred of commercials is higher in people with a good memory and/or a low tolerance for repetition. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/15 "2024-09-04T23:36:11Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > There are some situations where a streaming service plays commercials. I was too cheap to spring for ad-free Hulu, so when I watch something on Hulu I get ads. And they don’t allow you to skip them. The ones I fine especially annoying are the interactive ads that have started to pop up in streaming services lately, that prompt you to “choose your ad experience” before the ad will play. There is a countdown timer, and one of the ads will just play automatically when the timer reached zero if you don’t do anything, but that effectively extends the length of the commercial break. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/16 "2024-09-04T23:42:59Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@GailForce](#): > > > > Why doesn’t everyone do this? > > Some people watch TV very passively, and what you describe would require more effort and alertness than they want to expend. This includes people who (as **Exapno\_Mapcase** mentioned) have the TV on in the background, as well as those who veg out with their eyes glued to the screen. Well, what are you going to do when you’re on the sofa but the remote control is _way_ on the other side of the room? Sitting there and watching the commercials seems to be the only option. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/17 "2024-09-04T23:44:50Z")
Or under the napping orange cat. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/18 "2024-09-04T23:47:14Z")
I work in advertising. You all make me cry, and are taking food from my babies’\* mouths. 😉 (\*- Well, OK, they are cats.) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/19 "2024-09-04T23:50:59Z")
> [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1007125/28): > > Nobody likes commercials. Well… if someone has put some ingenuity or humor into a short film designed to influence my behavior, I’m not averse to seeing how they’ve fulfilled the assignment. Did you ever notice that some commercials have specific color palettes? Why was a particular word used in the jingle? I think it’s kind of interesting. However, I’m married to a dude who’s allergic to commercials, so I don’t wind up watching a ton of them. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769/20 "2024-09-04T23:52:29Z")
Call me, I’ll send your babies some food. 🤭 (I have roughly 20 cans of Fancy(ass) feast ‘shrimp chicken meal’ that my cats loved…til they didn’t!) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-watch-commercials/1006769.md?page=2)