Adverts During Sport

This is one thing which irritates me more than any other – advertisements during TV coverage of sport.

It is really annoying how the commercial channels which show sport – any sport – decide to maximise their advertising revenue by showing adverts while the game is in progress.

The main trouble is not just that they show adverts, it is their timing of them. Naturally, the only times in live sport when there is a break long enough to show an advert is when points have just been scored, when there is an injury, or a break (such as half time).

In cricket, the breaks come between wickets. This is not a good time to show an advert! In fact, wickets are the best bit – we want to see a replay, not an ad for Vodafone.

When the rugby is on, as soon as a try is scored, we cut to adverts. Again, this is the time for a replay, not an ad break.

During football, a goal will also see us inflicted with an advertisement.

There are plenty of breaks in play where advertising can be slotted in – injuries are quite a good time – in cricket, the game is designed to have breaks (drinks, lunch, tea etc) show some ads then, by all means.

If you must advertise during sport, then put the advert on the screen – have the scoreboard sponsored in an inobtrusive fashion – but keep showing the play at all times. This would actually have the advertisers branding on the screen for much longer than the 20 second speed ad that we get, and it would also mean we get to actually enjoy the sporting occasion.

Come to mention it, you can even have the replays sponsored if you must, and you’d probably achieve the same amount of revenue, and not piss as many sports fans off in the process.

I once witnessed the ridiculous situation on a horse racing channel when they were happily showing a load of adverts for “unsecured personal loans” but had to cut back because a race had started. By the time they did, it was nearly over, as it was a sprint. And this was on a subscription channel. It is bad news when the one sport you have been paid to provide to your viewers comes secondary to your desire to make advertising dollars…

Sort it out, or stop showing sport on your channel.

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