Non-public channels are not allowed more than an average of 12 minutes of television and teleshopping advertising.
In the United States, viewers currently have to spend between 12 and 17 minutes of advertising per hour.
This means that over the course of 10 hours people would be forced to watch about three hours of ads.
The next steps are described at the end of this summer
In its report, released Wednesday, Ofcom said: “We are conducting an audience investigation to gain a better understanding of attitudes toward commercial references to programs and opinions about possible compensation between exposure to more publicity. versus more brand in the program …
“We are also looking at the rules that set the frequency and duration of television advertising.
“These rules are complex, with limits for public service broadcasters that are stricter than the rules set for commercial broadcasters. We have had initial talks with stakeholders and look forward to outlining our next steps by the end of this summer “.
“It’s not at all desirable”
Speaking to Mail Online, Conservative MP Giles Watling, who is part of the DCMS committee, warned that British viewers would simply turn off their TVs if there were too many advertisements.
He said: “I think people will probably vote with their feet if there is a lot of advertising. They may not see a TV channel that has too much advertising …
“If you want to get a lot of advertising, do a lot of it, but you may not get the results you want.
“I think it could lead to the American model, which in my opinion would not be at all desirable.”
An Ofcom spokesman said: “We are exploring a number of options, but before we make any plans, we will listen to different points of view and examine what TV viewers are saying.
“We need to strike the right balance between protecting the interests of viewers and maintaining our traditional broadcasters, which includes helping them compete with American streaming platforms.”