Posted on 07/17/2005 7:01:03 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s
Skipping TV ads illegal in Japan?
Ok, everyone's joked at one time or another that the TV commercials during some show or other (probably the Super Bowl) were better than the actual programming. But we didn't actually mean it, did we?
In the U.S., broadcasters and advertisers have long been worried about the effects of TiVo and other digital recorders on ad-watching. That anxiety is spreading to Japan, where broadcasters are now saying that skipping commercials is actually a violation of that country's Copyright Law .
To combat the ungrateful public's growing ad-skipping, the country's National Association of Commercial Broadcasters has designated Aug. 28, the anniversary of the first ad played on Japanese TV, as "TV Commercial Day." They'll aim to highlight the benefits of TV advertising to viewers.
I've got a short list for them: they make great bathroom breaks and exercise periods (even if it's just a walk to the fridge), and it's the best time to make popcorn in the kitchen?
Some network honcho here made a similar statement. Except that he said we were stealing from them by not watching the commercials. Little brain upstairs, big brass ones down below.
Lawyers, only lawyers could come up with that kind of nonsensical argument.
My ReplayTV automatically skips commercials. The networks among others sued them and won. All ReplayTV models that followed were required not to have the commercial skipping technology. So much for technology advances and providing what consumers want...
Go to the network offices, I bet there is a NO SOLICITING sign on the door.
In Japan , the commercials ARE more interesting than the shows !
How do you say Orin Hatch in Japanese?
Mark
I've enabled the 30-second skip on my TiVO (S-P-S-3-0-S), so I can blow past commercials without as much as a by-your-leave. And I like it.
It's funny. In the beginning my wife and I were content to simply mute commercials. Now the terrible editing, constantly changing scenes every 2 seconds, etc have made them intolerable even without sound. We turn the TV off during the commercials.
Perhaps if the TV advertising morons figured out that irritating does not equal creative and entertaining, they would find that more people actually watched them.
Watch an old 50's live TV program on PBS, where they did the ads live. They were quite easy to sit through. Carnation ads on the old Burns/Allen show are a good example of what I mean. Quite pleasant, actually.
Timex did live ads well into the 60s. One is a classic (they couldn't find the watch after it spun off the blade of the outboard motor.)Watching John Cameron Swazie (sp?) ad libbing after that is still getting occasional airplay 40 years later.
I grew up thinking Timex=watch. I'd forgotten about JCS being the spokesman for them.
Or, the ads that were built into the show. Like when Blanche would come over to visit Gracie, and be offered a fresh cup of Folger's (IIRC) Coffee, complete with a short spiel about it.
No kidding...I lived there for 5 years.
Here's my favorite:
There's a beautiful beach, nice waves, great day in the sun. In the distance, someone is running toward the viewer. As the runner gets closer, you can see that it's a naked woman (naked American woman). They show this scene for a few seconds, then the screen stops, and all you see is a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup. The narrator says "Cambudo Supo!" (phonetically).
That was it. That was the whole commercial. Unbelievable. They took the "sex sells" a bit too far, I fear. That's translation, for you.
If the Japanese shows we see on American TV from time to time are the best examples of Japanese television, then maybe they should skip the shows and watch the commercials.
Putting a bottle rocket up one's nose, lighting it, then seeing if he or she can stand it is the best they can do, give me test pattern.
I dream of 8 pound vacuum cleaners, my doctor tells me it's all in my head.
I have a better solution. Go read a book from the library or the news on the Internet. Go get a hobby. Take up shooting. TV really sucks.
When the program is over, push a button, and it is erased, it's just a hard drive.
I don't know...even without the dubbed-in Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano, MXC is pretty funny to watch...INDEED!
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