One is the sheer number of ad breaks in programming. Here in Sweden there's only a few with a good chunk in between.
The second is ads during programs. I mean not even having the courtesy to pause but instead overimpose.
I sort of get it now why USA import shows have the weird breaks though.
Given, I seldom watch TV here anymore, so I might be mistaken.
I turned on the TV in the US hotel once for the experience. I found out that what I'd see as "making fun of the US ads" in the EU, was not even close to reality. It took me a moment to realise that the ad actually had monster trucks with the flag/eagle paint, guns, and explosions and it wasn't a cringe satire show.
It's craziness as people could be much more productive if they did one thing at a time. That said, people who have the television running all the time probably aren't seeking to optimize their productivity.
That's a direct result of networks dictating the # of commercial breaks in the show.
Watching a show like Battlestar Galactica is a bit odd because they liked to have dramatic little climaxes right before a commercial break.
As an American it's sort of funny because it's been so long since I watched broadcast/cable TV (10 years?) that I don't think this even existed at that time and I have to sort of imagine what this would look like.