Fox floats reducing the number of commercials to two minutes per hour by 2020

Deadline

When Fox ad chief Joe Marchese revealed the surprising goal during an industry summit this week, attendees were unsure whether it was an  actual proclamation or trial balloon. "What sets the Fox objective apart from other ad-reduction efforts is its ambition," says Dade Hayes, "especially given the fact that overall commercial time has been on the rise despite widespread acknowledgement that it’s not helping lure viewers. Getting to two minutes would also mean a drastic reduction from Fox’s current levels — Pivotal Research Group estimated that the broadcast network ran an average of 10.6 minutes an hour during January."