Question: the commercials that run across the bottom third of a tv screen are called
Answer: A news ticker ( sometimes called a `` crawler '' , `` crawl '' or `` slide '' ) is a primarily horizontal , text - based display either in the form of a graphic that typically resides in the lower third of the screen space on a television station or network ( usually during news programming ) or as a long , thin scoreboard - style display seen around the facades of some offices or public buildings dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news .