Bumper music and “bumps” help distinguish program content from advertising. TV shows quit using visual commercial bumpers in 1976, but we still hear them as bumpers on radio programs and now in online podcasts. Broadcasters license music to “bumper” the transitions from regular programming to commercials. That’s how the term “bumper music” came about.
In the United Kingdom, a visual “break-bumper” signals the start and finish of commercial breaks. The image may be the station’s logo, or the logo of the program’s sponsor.
In Japan, an animation that plays between show content and the one commercial break is called an “eyecatch” or aikyatchi. This is most commonly used in anime and tokusatsu shows. Unlike American shows, where the “bump” is created by the TV station, eyecatches are created as part of the program itself, and often only last 2 to 5 seconds.
