content: Makes sense for commercials to air at the same time. Keeps people from channel surfing if they're all on commercials anyway.  If it's a 30 minute show, commercials will be 5 minutes at the 11 minute mark and 3 minutes at the 27 minute mark with credits rolling.  If it's an hour show, expect a 5 minute break at the 12 minute mark, and now it gets dirty, 7 minutes at the half hour mark once you're invested, then another 7 minutes of commercials after 15 minutes more show. Then the final 13 minutes of show followed by a couple commercials then the next show to hook you in all over again.