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Fox will air fewer commercials than usual during two of its fall programs, dramas Fringe and Dollhouse. Each episode will run as many as 50 minutes of story, compared to standard dramas which average about 42 to 44 minutes.
The network is calling the lengthier format “Remote-Free TV,” according to Mediaweek.
Fox sales president Jon Nesvig said, during the network’s upfront earlier in the week, that the network will work with advertisers “to see if this model is economically viable.” The goal is to get advertisers to pay more per commercial during those programs, because the ads will stand out more, writes The New York Times.
Networks have been searching for ways to improve viewer engagement in order to “TiVo-proof” commercial pods. NBC has aired live commercials during the Tonight show, while VH1 has experimented with putting sponsor messaging in and around short-form content created especially to complement the ads, for example.
Fox also announced this week that it is opening its fall season full-bore as it goes smack up against the Democratic National Convention the week of Aug. 25. Two-hour premieres of four of its series will air that week, beginning with Prison Break on Aug. 25. Fringe will air on Tuesday, with a two-hour Bones following on Wednesday and a two-hour Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? on Thursday.
Fox’s full fall schedule can be seen here.
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This is the third time Mitchum has partnered with EcoHangers - a company…
