Used to watch shows with commercials, now I can't handle them at all

I remember back in 2018 I'd sit through 3 minute commercial breaks on cable just to catch The Walking Dead live. Then I started bingeing Breaking Bad on Netflix and got totally spoiled by no ads. Last week I tried to watch a new show on regular TV at my buddy's place and I lasted maybe 10 minutes before I grabbed my phone. How do you guys deal with going back to ads after streaming?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_grant3d ago

Wait, is it just me or did anyone else actually defend commercials back in the day? I used to say things like "the breaks help me get snacks" or "it gives me time to talk to my family." Then I started watching Succession on HBO Max and now I can't even handle YouTube ads without getting annoyed. My little cousin put on a Nickelodeon show on cable and I was literally tapping my leg the whole time waiting for the episode to come back. Streaming really rewires your brain, I swear.

paul_webb452d ago

My brother actually works in marketing and he told me something wild about this. He said the whole reason cable commercials felt like breaks was because they were literally designed that way - shows would end on mini cliffhangers right before the break. Streaming killed that completely. Now you can just roll right into the next scene and your brain gets pissed when something interrupts it. I noticed it when I tried watching regular TV at a hotel last month. Ten minutes into a show and boom, a diaper commercial. Felt like getting punched in the face.