According to Harvard Business Review Polska, which published the study, two test groups were shown three types of programs:
- episodes of the comedy series *Taxi*,
- documentary nature films,
- and Bollywood productions.
One group watched the programs without ads, while the other saw them with ad interruptions. The results were surprising: the group that saw the shows with ads was more satisfied with the programs, regardless of the quality of the ads shown.
source: Harvard Business Review Polska, Why Do We Prefer TV with Ads?Surprisingly, viewers who watched the version with ads were also willing to pay more for DVD sets of productions by the same directors. The study published by Harvard Business Review Polska found that this difference could be as much as 30%.
- viewers of the ad-free version offered $4.18 for a DVD
- viewers of the ad-supported version were willing to pay up to $5.42 for the same DVD.
The study authors note that this principle is reflected in pay TV, even though it doesn’t include ads. These networks structure their programming with built-in breaks.
- What increases viewer enjoyment isn’t the ads themselves but the breaks in the show, - explains Prof. Leif Nelson in an interview with HBRP. - In series, the plot usually consists of six or more parallel storylines that producers continuously juggle. More complex and unpredictable shows, with twists that naturally introduce breaks, were rated higher than programs with a more linear narrative structure.
This is known as the adaptation effect. The researchers found that this effect is much stronger among younger people. As people age, they need less stimulation to feel pleasure and adapt more slowly.
Nelson, Meyvis, and Galak`s research was also published in the Harvard Business Review Polska special report Why Do We Prefer TV with Ads?
COMMERCIAL BREAK
New articles in section Marketing and PR
Online shopping in Poland. Report by the Chamber of Digital Economy
Patrycja Sołtysik, Izba Gospodarki Elektronicznej
For the fourth consecutive year, 100% of internet users declare making a digital purchase at least once, and 93% have shopped online in the last six months. 97% of purchases in Poland involve an internet-connected device at some stage - most commonly a smartphone.
Coffee for moms. This is how they recharge parents' batteries at the Wrocław children's hospital
Reporterzy support
24 hours, 7 days a week, for 3 months. Non-stop. That is the average time a mother spends in an oncology hospital, caring for her child during treatment. A new project has launched at the Przylądek Nadziei (Cape of Hope) children's oncology clinic in Wrocław. In a simple way, it helps parents reduce stress, calm their emotions, and boosts their energy for caregiving. And that directly translates into the effectiveness of the children's treatment.
What affects our purchasing decisions? The KONSUMER 2026 study
Michał Mystkowski, Berry Kolektyw Kreatywny
Grandma watches TikTok before sleep. A father in his fifties types into Google "will AI take my job?" A thirty-year-old woman postpones having a child but buys a weekend trip "to take a breath for a moment". A twelve-year-old asks ChatGPT about a dream job and tries to convince parents to buy another game skin.
See articles on a similar topic:
Marketing technologies in Poland. The state of MarTech report
KFi
Nearly half of marketers in Poland can`t clearly say whether their marketing technologies deliver a real return. Only 5% believe the results are "well above expectations", while 32% simply say: "hard to tell".
Artificial intelligence in shopping. E-commerce 2026 report
Piotr Michalak, Altavia Kamikaze + K2
Already nearly 40% of Polish consumers use artificial intelligence on their shopping journey, although they often do so unconsciously. According to a report by the Altavia Kamikaze + K2 agency, the current year marks the final transition from traditional searching to recommendations based on AI.
Contextual Advertising in Print Media. PBC Measured Its Effectiveness
BARD
Print advertising, when placed in the appropriate editorial context, attracts 67% more attention than ads in other sections, according to research conducted for Polskie Badania Czytelnictwa (PBC). Contextual ads hold the reader’s gaze longer and engage them more deeply.
#POMAGAM2026 Can a New Year's resolution go viral?
wspieramy
Is a million good deeds a lot? Ten-year-old Emilka wants to find out. She just announced the I Resolve to Help campaign on the internet and urges everyone to make a unique New Year's resolution. That we help each other more often in 2026.




























