Comcast commercial bumping

Every once in a while I see a commercial start and then BUMP! it's
replaced by a different commercial, usually for Comcast (my cable
company). Also every now and then a commercial will end and BING! there
will be the last second or two of a different commercial.

Clearly Comcast is "pre-empting" national commercials and replacing them
with their own. Is this legal? Those companies have paid good money
for that time. Does Comcast have the right to just bump them out in
favor of their own ads?

Tony Calguire...

This has been going on for years. They're called "local inserts", or
"local avails". Back in the old days, the cable channel had to play
this funky-sounding "touch tone" noise which signaled the cable
company's equipment to begin playing the local commercial. You can
still hear that noise ocassionally on some channels like Fox Sports Net.

When it's done properly, the local commercial seamlessly covers the
national ad, and you don't notice a difference. Unfortunately, they
don't usually do it properly, so the local ad is louder than the
national program, or it starts late, or my personal favorite, it
accidentally airs right in the middle of the program (this happened
during "The Boondocks" a few months ago).

Usually, the national advertisers that are being bumped know they're
going to be bumped. Those ads are typically the "direct response"
variety (I think that's what it's called), where they pay for the ad
based on how many people call the 1-800 number.

One commercial that Comcast really likes to bump is the Enzyte ad
featuring "This Is Joe!" and his newly engorged male member. I don't
mind this at all; Joe and his goofy smile irk me.

GarondoMarondo...

I will cry for you.

..
Garondo Marondo!

**
Captain Infinity

Anim8rFSK...

Commercial time is sold that way. You get a cheaper rate in exchange
for your commercial being bumpable.

Hoofum...

This happens all the time and is standard practice with cable
companies on cable channels. (Charter Communications here does the
same thing). It's pretty much the cable companies replacing national
commercials on national cable networks with localized commercials
(they don't do this with broadcast networks, only local affiliates do,
and there's usually a spot for local commercials for them). I think
it's FCC (and maybe even cable netowrk) approved.

pete...

I haven't noticed this.

Do you have regular cable or digital?

Captain Infinity...

Extended basic, non-digital.

**
Captain Infinity

Russell Watson...

On my Comcast feed there's a Bow-Flex ad that gets bumped on Spike all
the time. I'm not sure exactly what it's for (not their standard
machine that's featured in the usual ads from the very quick glimpse
you get, but also not the funky dial-up dumbells or the
stair-climer/treadmill doohickey, either). There's a big numeral "3"
on the screen in the very quick shot before it cuts away. They also
commonly bump ads for the "Girls Gone Wild" videos, usually about
halfway through the warning that the ad you are about to see is for
adults only.