Infomercials Hit Prime Time As Ad Market Slows

New York Times:

It is a sign of just how bad the advertising market is: infomercials are running during network prime time, filling slots that automobiles and banks once owned.

"The economy is the No. 1 focus for everyone, and it affects the advertisers and the rates," said Pat Boos, the senior vice president for broadcast, acquisition and marketing at Direct Holdings Americas, which licenses the Time Life brand.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[humble liberty]

12:30 AM on 02/01/2009

CSI: Shamwow

[lvdragonlady]

02:39 PM on 01/28/2009

Personally I wish these darn stations would just go away. They take up air space and we the consumer get stuck paying for them whether we want them on our viewing list or not.
Make them an option instead to charging us for them.

[jeffp26]

12:44 PM on 01/28/2009

Wake me up when Vince -- from Sham-WOW -- marries Billy Mays.

[ramblingjohnny]

10:14 AM on 01/28/2009

Every economic down turn make loser and winner. Big advertisers are cutting their marketing budget making the price of advertisement fall opening the door for other players to buy up at a discount. That life and beside who watch the ad anyway? That always the perfect time to grab something from the fridge not to mention zapping to see what on the other channel.

[CR46]

10:33 PM on 01/27/2009

Hey the PediPaws works great!

[fleaba]

06:30 PM on 01/27/2009

Hey it's no problem...we have peasant vision here in northern Colorado. Faux, some God channel, Telenovelas and that's it!!!! When they turn off the analog, we probably won't have any. ha ha ha...guess I'll add to the list of over 8,000 books we've checked out in the last several years. Ye haw!

[lvdragonlady]

02:41 PM on 01/28/2009

Don't you just love paying for channels you do not watch. Religious channels are as bad as the spanish and infomercials..................why do we have to pay for 'stuff' we do not watch????
Give us a choice, dagnabbit

[kellygrrrl]

05:30 PM on 01/27/2009

Snuggie and ShamWow and AbRoller - oh my!

[janinei]

01:01 AM on 01/27/2009

I do believe this is one of the signs of the apocalypse!

[kellygrrrl]

05:29 PM on 01/27/2009

I think you're right

[TooLooze]

09:20 PM on 01/26/2009

A couple questions: who the F**K are Vince and Billy Mays and why does Billy use that hideous hair dye? WTF is a "handling" charge and why don't they have to disclose the amount?

Why is the small print allowed to be only one-half inch high on a 52" TV screen and is there a speed reading course for reading all of it?

Isn't is bait and switch to advertise an auto lease at a certain price and omit to say that there is a down payment?

Pardon the language, please.

[AZterritory]

08:40 PM on 01/26/2009

Public libraries. . . the refuge of the anti-Shamwow viewer.

[KataVideo]

08:18 PM on 01/26/2009

Okay, I wasn't seeing things (at least not more than usual). A lot of weird "ginsu-knife" level products are making their way into prime..

[humble liberty]

08:13 PM on 01/26/2009

Oh, I thought they meant the 30 minute ones.

Although Friday night probably has room for Shamwow: The Series

[dagnome27]

07:04 PM on 01/26/2009

Infomercials are the abomination of the airwaves, and are the ULTIMATE sell-out of the public's right to a vibrant and functional set of broadcast networks. We the people OWN the TV airwaves, and we've let the Gov't SELL it to the noodnik networks who have abdicated their obligation to air informative, useful programming. If they can't fill it with useful programming, TAKE IT BACK!