The media and advertisers have a symbiotic relationship. As a show gets better TV ratings, the amount of money that advertisers are willing to pay increases.  In short, media is profit driven, and the principal reason for why they entertain viewers is to get more money from advertisements. This may seem greedy or corrupt, but in effect, it allows for an entertaining show to be provided to the audience and viewers at home alike.

            A prime example of this relationship between the media and advertisers is the show America’s Got Talent (AGT for short). As a talent show, it draws large audiences each night that it is on, and many people watch it religiously throughout the entire season. To the average person, it might just look like a talent show with a lot of lights and extra excitement from an all-star cast of judges. However, when looked at with a critical eye, one can see that advertisements are fundamental to the show, and are what help the show attain bigger audiences and better talent each year.

            On average, a one-hour show consists of about twenty minutes of commercials. Along with commercials in between acts, before an act goes on, the host takes a minute to identify one of the sponsors of the show.  For example, Snapple is heavily advertised on the show. The judges all drink from Snapple cups, and there is even a “Snapple Save”, which allows a voter to cast their vote to save an act with “The best stuff”. Because Snapple pays an exorbitant amount of money to advertise on AGT, they get more air time for their products than other advertisers.

            Granted, this might seem like AGT is catering to companies’ advertisements. However, it is only natural for them to allow companies like Snapple to sponsor their show. NBC, the company that produces the show, is profit driven, so they are eager to have companies advertise on their show because it provides a stream of revenue. With this revenue, they are able to use some of the money to advertise for their show, helping them gain recognition, leading to more people knowing about it, and eventually more people auditioning. Similarly, companies are also profit driven. They spend thousands of dollars to get a thirty-second add in on the show because they believe that the show attracts a large audience to whom their ads target. In the process of looking out for their own interests, AGT provides a popular and entertaining show in hopes of getting better ratings and more viewers, and companies advertise on the show in hopes of getting their brand name and products recognized.

            So, to say that the entertainment and media we watch is actually supporting companies’ advertisements is an overstatement. If this were so, the role of advertisements and entertainment would be reversed, and there would be forty minutes of commercials and twenty minutes of entertainment. Viewership would go down because of the amount of commercials, causing both the show and the companies who advertised to lose money. Instead, a balance is held between entertainment, advertisements, and viewers, allowing for all three parties to be satisfied.