Syndicators Boast About Shorter Commercial Breaks

With NATPE around the corner and the upfront market down the
road, the Syndicated Network Television Association has new numbers to bolster
its pitch that its short commercial breaks make it a good buy for advertisers.

According to the SNTA's annual member survey, breaks in
syndicated shows average just two minutes and 27 seconds in length, making them
30% shorter than commercial pods on the broadcast and cable networks during
primetime.

The SNTA adds that the exclusively national pod in
syndicated shows average 1:31 in length and that in 16 syndicated shows, 60
pods are available.

The shorter pods lead to higher effectiveness. According to
the SNTA, advertising in pods containing between one and three commercials have
unaided recall that's 57% above the average for all commercials. By contrast,
spots in pods with 10 or more commercials have recall that's 21% below average.

SNTA says the 60-second pods score 21% higher than average
in ad engagement, 31% higher in add attention, 61% higher in ad likeability and
250% higher in unaided recall.

Shorter pods all mean that commercials in syndicated shows
have a better chance of airing in the coveted first position in a break -- the
A position -- and of airing in the first minute of that break, when ratings are
highest.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.