Are We Thick?

[sarahxxx]

And that is not in general reference to us on here but the whole nation. There is another topic re what annoyed you today but this happens more often than not.

Hands up all that enjoy watching programs, such as "The Hotel Inspector"?

Hands up all those of you that have Sky+ or equivalent so no need to watch the adverts.

So why do they feel the need to spend a minute+ before every advert break telling you what is coming up and then another minute+ after the adverts telling you what happened just a few minutes before?

Even if we were unlucky enough to have to endure the adverts, do they really think we are that stupid we would have forgotten what had happened just a few minutes before?

Rant over...............

Good night.

Sarah

[Laudanum]

I have a freeview box, and that's it. I don't tend to watch an awful lot of TV, aside from series that I might like. I don't watch soaps, reality shows, competition wank like X-Factor and the like, or those horrible home shopping channels. I tend to favour books and occasional movies, especially if they're sci-fi/horror/thriller ones.

But yes as a nation, we're apparently pretty damned thick. It was said that the only reason why many Britons understood how the Alternative Vote was to work, was because it's similar to the way votes on the X-Factor are placed.

[sarahxxx]

But yes as a nation, we're apparently pretty damned thick. It was said that the only reason why many Britons understood how the Alternative Vote was to work, was because it's similar to the way votes on the X-Factor are placed.

Sorry, what's the alternative vote?

Sarah

[davidseven]

A 'comprehensive' education system that has betrayed generations of children, with prizes for all, and exams shorn of rigour are the main cause.
One could argue that a dumb sheep like populace is the ideal outcome for a political class who would prefer we don't ask difficult questions about where the tax revenues go, Middle Eastern adventures and a fascist EU dictating to our Parliament.

They have the voting on X factor and Katie Price's sex life to worry about instead.

[Laudanum]

But yes as a nation, we're apparently pretty damned thick. It was said that the only reason why many Britons understood how the Alternative Vote was to work, was because it's similar to the way votes on the X-Factor are placed.

Sorry, what's the alternative vote?

Sarah

Nothing important

[Ana_X]

So why do they feel the need to spend a minute+ before every advert break telling you what is coming up and then another minute+ after the adverts telling you what happened just a few minutes before?

I have always suspected that the 'coming up next' moment is to keep viewers gripped to ensure they continue watching the show after the adverts, and that the 'previously' recap is meant to engage viewers who may have just tuned in by filling them in on what they had previously missed, to encourage those to watch the show to it's completion.

It's all about ratings in the end really, which determine if a television or radio broadcast is viable for future production or if it will be cut.

So whilst I don't think that the directors and producers of such shows assume their target audience are thick, I do agree that these little segments can be sometimes rather annoying.

[SassyAnn]

It's worse in the States where they have at least double the number of advert breaks than us. I was watching a reality show (I admit it!) today - Extreme Makeover Home Edition. It does make me cry. But what makes me want to cry even more are the number of 'coming up in the next segment' and 'to recap so far' bits.... especially when they are just either side of an 'Extreme Makeover Home Edition' logo - because we don't have an advert slot then! If you watched it regularly, I imagine losing the will to live would be quite high on the agenda.

[MrSmith767]

It comes from the states, where they have a much shorter attention span (allegedly) and tricks like that are used to try and keep viewers from changing channels during the breaks (of which there are more too)

Other countries follow the same model in the hope that they can sell programmes internationally.

The absolute worst programme for filling while nothing happens, is X Factor, if you play it on sky+ and fast forward all the ads, and bits to say what numbers to call, (or who's granny died that week) and just watch the songs and judges you can cut the show from 2 1/2 hours down to 45 mins!!

[English Kate]

I love my sky+ and fast forward through the recaps too.

[sarahxxx]

I fully understand the 1/2 minute re cap on programmes that may be a week in between watching or even the next day, like the recent "The Jury" on ITV, but at every interval, before and after, does get annoying.

The Jury was one of Tv.'s better drama series, we had it on Sky+ and watched it back2back

Sarah