Tv Commercials | featured news

Taco Bell has pulled its commercials from MTV's controversial teen drama "Skins."

After years of promises and false starts, TV commercials targeted at individual homes may finally be ready for prime time. DirecTV Group is planning the biggest rollout yet of "addressable ads," allowing advertisers to reach close to 10 million homes with commercials tailored to each household. Dog owners, for instance, could see ads for dog food, not kitty litter, while families with children could be shown minivan spots.

Here's a message TV viewers may not want to mute: The days of getting blasted out of one's easy chair by blaring TV commercials may soon be over. The House on Thursday passed a bill that would prevent advertisers from abruptly raising the volume to catch the attention of viewers wandering off when regular programming is interrupted.

And now, a word from our sponsors. A very brief word. TV commercials are shrinking along with attention spans and advertising budgets.