HollywoodRadioAndTvSociety

An opinion was put forth at a Hollwood Radio and TV Society luncheon for reality television executives that questions the use of the 30-second spot in that type of programming anymore (the entire context was about the decline in television advertising, in general). While they were referring to reality TV, I was wondering if that question could be asked of television, in general.

Consider this: the BBC in England doesn't use commercials. They get money via other methods such as merchandising. While I don't think that would work in America, why ruin the flow of the show? The existence of Tivo somewhat renders commercial breaks moot. We already see ads scrolling around the sides of the screen during many television shows (Fox is notorious for them), not to mention product placement, so why not use that method for all advertisements for all shows?

I ask this of you, television viewers: would seeing commercials during the run of a program sell more products, or would it just ruin the viewing experience?