Primetime TV Wars and the headache of catching up online

So this week marks premiere week for the big networks- ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. I don't know about you, but the reason i get hooked on most series like Law and Order SVU, House, NCIS and the CSI's is due to their syndication on great cable channels like USA. However, if you've watched any of the channels that feature these popular shows in syndication, you're probably aware that you no longer have to watch re-runs anymore because this week everything is all new! And I'm here to tell you- I'm excited.

I read an article in Friday's USAToday (yes I do realize it is Sunday, and I'm two days late but still) and it got me really pumped about these new seasons. I guess the point of the article was to promote the new series like The Event, Lone Star and Hawaii Five-O and 20 other new series slated for the fall, but really the article just got me pumped up for the series I already love- House, NCIS, and Glee. I was very distraught when I discovered that two of these beloved shows will be aired at the same time. NCIS and GLEE both come on Tuesday's at 7. What am I going to do? Be forced to watch episodes online.

Now I know that advertising is a part of life. Hey- I am even considering it as a career path so this is not in any way a diss to the advertisers. But advertising during online shows is getting ridiculous. I know that there are tons more commercials when you actually watch the shows, but on top of commercials during the online re-runs you have to deal with buffering and skipping and other annoyances that are unique to TV viewing online.

Today I wanted to watch the season re-cap for NCIS and so i got to cbs.com and click on the link. First it shows me a long animated version of a Clorox 2 ad. Then there's a whole thirty-three second ad for the same product. Then I have to click to continue and the advertisement for Clorox 2 surrounds the video box. So I was forced to endure 6 minutes of exposure for Clorox 2. I know that it's supposed to be great at getting stains out of colors without fading the clothes, but am I going to go to the store and buy Clorox 2? Probably not. Why? Besides the fact that I'm a huge fan of the smells-amazing Apple Mango Tango Gain detergent, I am plain annoyed that Clorox 2 had the balls (pardon my...English?) to force their product on viewers that much. It's like pick one form of Internet annoyance. Go with the commercial or the banner ad not both and definitely not both plus another ad. Come on now.

People do everything they can to avoid advertising. As an aspiring marketer, this is something that really interests me. Why don't advertisers understand this fact? I mean think about it. When do you go to the bathroom? During the commercial breaks. Want something to snack on? Wait for the commercial. Then you won't miss anything important. DVRs have opened a whole new door for TV viewers who hate ads. All they have to do now is fastforward through those bad boys and hey! There's the show again which is what they wanted to watch in the first place.

I personally enjoy some commercials. I mean there are some really entertaining ones out there like the Old Spice ads, Cheeze-its, and I even get a kick out of some of the Geico ads (NOT the cavemen ones the ones with the cute lizard). I'm not going to say that there aren't times when I wish the commercials would just go away (and when I do have the luxury of a DVR I skip those annoying suckers) so I can get back to my show but watching commercials on TV is totally different than watching them online.
I like that you are given an exact time that the commercial will last. That's a plus. But again I find myself distracted from the ad I simply watch the countdown.

Perhaps I'm being too hard on advertisers. With the increase in the number of TV viewers watching shows online it is understandable that advertisers want in on this market. However, they need to realize that people who watch TV online are probably trying to avoid ads anyway and therefore advertising shouldn't be forced down our throats. Just be nice about it. There's no reason to show three different types of ads BEFORE the show even starts. Keep it simple.

So if you're like me and you also like NCIS and Glee its going to be a long season of alternating between watching on TV and watching online but hey these two shows are great and I'm willing to put up with a little extra advertising to keep up with them. It all starts tomorrow. Get excited.