Loud Commercials a Turn-Off for majority of TV Viewers.

A vast majority of U.S. television viewers are so annoyed by loud TV commercials that they reduce or mute the volume, or change the channel altogether, according to a just-released national survey. But help is on the way — the U.S. Congress is considering legislation requiring broadcasters to keep commercials’ audio levels more in line with their related programming.

The telephone survey of 1,000 TV viewers, conducted for Harris Corporation, showed that 89 percent are bothered by the often dramatic variation between regular TV programming and advertising volumes. Eighty percent of those bothered take matters into their own hands by:

— Turning the volume down — 41 percent.

— Completely muting the volume — 22 percent.

— Changing the channel altogether — 17 percent.

The survey respondents also cautioned advertisers that the louder commercials approach may be backfiring — causing them to tune out the advertisements rather than attracting viewers to them.

— 61 percent said the loudness difference negatively impacted their perception of the product or their ad-viewing habits.

— 38 percent reported they are less likely to pay attention or consider the product

— 23 percent of those surveyed are changing the channel to another program.

— Only 5 percent reported the louder volume makes them more likely to pay attention to an ad and consider the product.

Although viewers were vocal about their reactions to loud ads, they were split on the prospects of the government resolving the perceived problem. Thirty-three percent believed that legislation should be passed to solve the problem, while 29 percent said legislation is not needed.

“As the survey shows, television viewers are clearly tired of being jolted out of their seats by loud commercials,” said Brian Cabeceiras, vice president of strategic marketing and technology for Harris Broadcast Communications. “Broadcasters now have access to simple solutions that can help make the era of shockingly loud commercials a thing of the past.”

For moe information at http://www.harris.com