Visual Attention to Programming and Commercials: The Use of In-home Observations

Abstract The study uses in-home observations to examine eyes-on-screen times for both program and commercial viewing. Results indicate that viewers are visually oriented to programming 62 percent of the time and to commercials 33 percent of the time. Men are more apt to change channels during the commercial break than are women. Compared with previous studies conducted prior to the development of the multi-channel viewing environment, program eyes-on-screen times have remained stable while commercial eyes-on-screen times have diminished. Moreover, individuals who view programming are significantly more apt to view commercials. It is argued that eyes-on-screen measures may be valuable in determining exposure to advertising.