Fox A scene from “Dollhouse.”“Fringe,” which had its premiere in September, was the first test of Fox’s fewer-commercials strategy, which the network calls “Remote-Free TV.” The second test comes tonight with the premiere of “Dollhouse.”
Episodes of the shows average a total of about 10 minutes of commercials, four to six minutes fewer than the typical hourlong show. Fox has charged movie studios, wireless companies and retailers a premium price for commercials on the program to partly compensate Fox for a lighter commercial load.
But has the commercial format worked? Brian Stelter reports in The New York Times on Friday:
Fox says the shorter commercial breaks keep viewers more engaged and improve brand recall for advertisers. Viewers are also less likely to change the channel or fast-forward past the ads — but not to the degree that Fox would have liked. Perhaps more important, the network does not appear to be recouping all the costs of the experiment. It is unclear whether Remote-Free TV will be back next season.
Jon Nesvig, the president of sales for Fox Broadcasting, is satisfied with the experience. “Even if it wasn’t an absolutely positive financial success, it was definitely a worthwhile experiment and something that I am glad we have attempted and will continue to work on,” he said.
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