Journal Press India^®

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Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify the viewing behavior for commercials on television programmes in terms of whether the respondents liked to watch advertisements on television during commercial breaks or liked to switch channels; what were the reasons for such a behavior and what possible remedies could be used to discourage channel-switching in order to improve the advertising effectiveness Design/Methodology/Approach: A structured, non-disguised, questionnaire was used for personal interviews. In addition to the demographics, the respondents were asked to provide information on different aspects. For this purpose, a sample of 200 people staying in Delhi was selected. Findings: It shows that channelswitching is a habit, which is common to people of all age groups irrespective of their gender, education level and occupation. The viewers are not likely to see advertisements that appear repeatedly on the same channel. If the duration of the ad break is long, people are likely to switch to other channels. Research Limitations: Some hypotheses would have been established, and tested through requisite statistical tools. Managerial Implications: The advertiser needs to telecast the advertisements on different channels during the same time-slot rather than spend on repeating the advertisements on the same thirty - minute programme, three to four times. Originality/Value: The entertainment value of the ad is significant for the younger age group and the information value is more important for the more educated and elderly audience. The research is original.

Keywords

Channel Switching, Advertising Expenditure, Viewing Behavior, Television Advertising, Channel-Surfing

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