Networks speed up TV shows to play more ads

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fast-forward-tv-networks-speed-up-shows-to-play-more-ads/

By Anthony Mason February 20, 2015,

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"My voice sounds so different because I think they speed it up a little bit, they speed it up a few frames to get another commercial in there," Cox told Conan O'Brien.

She's right. With ad growth slowing and ratings slipping at some cable channels, some broadcasters are shortening their shows to have room for more ads.

A viewer noticed it while watching "Seinfeld" and posted to YouTube a side-by side comparison of the same episode played on different channels. One version is sped up, so it's 15 seconds shorter than the original.

John Pellicano, CEO of Duplication Services, speeds up shows for some cable and broadcast networks.

"We can take a 30 minute 'I Love Lucy' show and make it 28 minutes without editing out any of the content at all," Pellicano says.

With a 30-second ad for the top cable channels selling for more than $17,000, adding two minutes of commercials can add another $68,000 in revenue.

"If there's a lot of movement in the program, you'll see stuttering, or stepping, people's voices speed up, so there are limitations," Pellicano says.

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