How many commercials are in an hour of television?

In an hour of scripted television shows such as dramas and sitcoms, commercials take up 6 minutes, according MarketingCharts. For unscripted programs such as reality shows, commercials use more than 13 minutes of that hour. An hour of United States prime-time television loses 8 minutes to commercials.

When it comes to late-night talk shows, the number of outright commercials and opportunities for brand placement rises to almost half, Marketing Charts states, citing studies by TNS Media Intelligence. The show content is advertised as being an hour long, but in reality, just 30 minutes of this hour are used for pure entertainment purposes.