Infomercial

Infomercials are television commercials that run as long as a typical television program (roughly thirty minutes or an hour). Infomercials, also known as paid programming (or teleshopping in Europe), are normally shown outside of peak hours, such as late at night or early in the morning. The word infomercial is a portmanteau which is formed by combining "information" and "commercial". As in any other form of advertisement, the content is a commercial message designed to represent the viewpoints and serve the interest of the sponsor. Infomercials are often made to closely resemble actual television programming, usually talk shows, with minimal acknowledgement that the program is actually an advertisement.

Parodies of infomercials

• The comedian Leo Gallagher is famous for his sendup of infomercials with his signature sledgehammer routine, a presentation of the fruit and vegetable preparation tool called the "Sledge-O-Matic ".
• On television's The Simpsons, faded Hollywood heartthrob Troy McClure regularly appeared on infomercials entitled "I Can't Believe They Invented It!"