Tv Commercials. Why?

I was watching a prime time TV show recently, on one of the major networks, and it seemed that after about every - minutes of the show there were full minutes of back-to-back, non-stop commercials. I was bombarded with what seemed like a dozen ads in a row, promoting cars, drugs, cell phone service providers and, via multiple promotional ads, subjected to hype about other TV shows on that same network. Years ago, the TV networks argued that because TV was free the viewer had to endure some TV commercials. OK, that made some sense. But TV is NOT free any longer. Today, we consumers now pay $ ... $ ... maybe up to $ or more ... a month ... just to get TV reception and more channels. So TV is no longer "free" at all. And if TV is no longer free, then why are we viewers being subjected to TV commercials? Not only are we still being subjected to TV commercials we are being subjected to more and more of them! Why? Because we're getting screwed, that's why. And, in protest, I'm turning off my TV and, instead of watching TV imbedded with tons of commercials, I'm going to read a book that I got from my local public library. Free. No commercials.