This paper proposes a new measure of television advertising avoidance, the "Passive/Active Zap" (PAZ), as an occurrence of a set-top box switching channels during a commercial break after at least five minutes of inactivity prior to the break. 27% of eligible commercial breaks are interrupted by...

Digital video recorder proliferation and new commercial audience metrics are making television networks' revenues more sensitive to audience losses from advertising. There is currently limited understanding of how traditional advertising and product placement affect television audiences. We...