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A comment on California law forces Netflix, Hulu to turn down ad volumes. Parent comment

Re:California law forces Netflix, Hulu to turn down ad volumes by rkomorn on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @08:35AM (#45502332)
Sorry for the mini rant but... One of the things that annoy me about TV shows is that the pacing on shows that were designed for network TV with ads is so predictable you can know whenever a tense scene is going to have an interesting outcome or not.

Tension somewhere between the usual ad boundaries? Nothing's happening. Tension near the 7 or 10 minute boundaries (depending on 30 or 60 minute shows)? Something's gonna happen.

It makes TV shows predictable even when watched on an ad-free platform.

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Re:California law forces Netflix, Hulu to turn down ad volumes by wingspar on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @09:33AM (#45502864)
I think that is bumping into the standard three-act structure common in fictional narratives.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-act_structure

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Re:California law forces Netflix, Hulu to turn down ad volumes by rkomorn on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @09:38AM (#45502939)
Maybe if you consider that the "three-act" structure is forced onto 20 and 40 minute runtime shows at precise time windows.

What I'm talking about is far less visible, if at all, in adless 60-minute runtime episodes.

Edit: and "what I'm talking about" is clear before-the-ad cliffhangers with after-the-ad "rewards" in the form of events that advance the plot.

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