Following decades of increasing use of ads on TV , many networks are now looking to cut them back as they seek to stem the shrinking audiences and attract young viewers , who have shifted to on - demand services such as Netflix and YouTube . For instance , ads shown during Saturday Night Live are to be cut by 30 % next season , and Time Warner have announced plans to cut the ad load on some programming by 50 % . This follows a similar trend happening on online advertisers as well , with YouTube releasing its Red subscription service thereby allowing viewers the option for a premium ad - free experience . For viewers, this should be a welcome change; it means two entire commercial pods being cut out. All this means is that advertising is heading towards a major crisis .
Following decades of increasing use of ads on TV , many networks are now looking to cut them back as they seek to stem the shrinking audiences and attract young viewers , who have shifted to on - demand services such as Netflix and YouTube . For instance , ads shown during Saturday Night Live are to be cut by 30 % next season , and Time Warner have announced plans to cut the ad load on some programming by 50 % . This follows a similar trend happening on online advertisers as well , with YouTube releasing its Red subscription service thereby allowing viewers the option for a premium ad - free experience . All this means is that advertising is heading towards a major crisis .