I used to like TV but now, because of the saturation of ads, it's practically impossible to watch.
..Why would anyone spend 3 hours to watch a 90 minute movie when you can rent the dvd for two bucks ? How can they justify having more ad time than program time ??? Do they really expect people keep watching ad after ad after ad??? It's all about greed.
It's not called 'Commercial' television for no reason.
I have cable, it is predominantly paid for by subscription. There are ads but i don't have your problem.
I've been using this thing called MythTV. It detects ads and skips them but you have to be a bit of an egg head to get it to work. There's another egg head on here, Formula Nova?, who will tell you the same thing.
i rest my case.
i only watch docco's, english comedies, and the occasional good film.
all raped from the interweb 
I NEVER WATCH AUSTRALIAN TV
current affairs are maintained from seabreeze chat room topics and toilet wall scribblings.
^^^
Yeah, right on.
I only ever watch those marvellous nature documentries by Richard Attenborough
I get most of my video jollies from iView on the ABC website
The Wire is my current favourite. The series is set in "Bodymore, Mudderland".
The ABC website seems so much easier to navigate than the commercial stations or even SBS.
If I had a business and was thinking how to spend my advertising budget, it wouldn't be TV. I hope most viewers are channel hoppers like me. As soon as an advert comes on the channel I am watching I jump to another and with the extra few channels you can normally jag a couple of minutes of viewing, evern though we all know the TV stations do their best to line up the ads. I also treat it as a bit of a challenge to see how close I can judge the end of the commercial and am getting pretty good at it, (I know, you are all thinking, get a life). I don't watch a lot of telly, however the small amount I do watch is selective and I don't like it ruined by loud, mindless, dumb adverts. So all you companies wasting big bucks on TV ads, try the newspapers.
TV Networks are a business, they put on programs to space the commercials out.
The revenue bases for networks have diminished of recent years with multi channeling, and the Internet, clients only have so much money to spend and they are spreading it a little thinner these days across all media.
(The TV industry isn't that bad its given me an income for more than 35 years....my father still thinks I need to get a "real job")
PS. it actually takes a lot of skill to make those "loud, mindless, dumb adverts". That you all remember
Thats why they invented TIVO. Once you go TIVO you will never go back, best thing ever.
Stupid is as stupid does - Forrest Gump
I know a guy that takes 1 hour 30 to watch 60 minutes on Sunday nights........
Now thats slow (and old) 
With multi channeling the cost of many on air spots have reduced... its a supply and demand situation [now a lot more spots to fill therefore = lower price at some times of the day / night ..very general statement though].
You are right, now many business can more directly focus their advertising making it cost effective. Same as the new digital radio stations.
Advertising time doesn't include "station promotions"
I did watch a lot of tele once.... now though I waste my time reading some of this stuff.
At least I get to improve my typing skills [ and my speeling ]
^^^
Perhaps the stations are using 'averages' - where daytime TV gets 8 or 9 min of adverts/hr - whereas peak viewing tim (6pm-11pm) gets 22min ads/hr!!! (well that's what it seems like).
That's why I like the interwebs and channel bt...
What get's me is the staggering of shows. Back when we had 4 channels, the programs finished on the hour or half way through it. Now I keep missing the start of my doco's cause the other half wants to watch the last 4 minutes of her sit-com.
surf4fun, if what you are saying you are obviously a little closer to the $ end of the TV networks than I am.
I'm involved in the technicial / production and Outside Broadcasts of TV & Radio industry.
