Netflix is running ads, which it insists aren’t ads

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in movies on (#AABQ)
story imageNetflix has confirmed that it's publicly testing ads (for now just trailers for Netflix-original series) both before and after shows. What you see as a test subject varies in length and whether or not it's skippable, so it's not certain just how tolerable these promos would be. However, Netflix is quick to note that a lot of things are up in the air, and that you might not see these clips at all

However, the ad trial is likely meant to open the door to new pricing options that do more than tweak the number of simultaneous streams. Netflix could offset price hikes (and undercut streaming rivals) by launching a cheaper, ad-supported tier; alternately, it could compensate for slowing growth by asking you to pay more for ad-free viewing.
Reply 9 comments

Screw you, Netflix (Score: 5, Insightful)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2015-06-03 13:39 (#ABD5)

Yet another basically user-friendly firm gets too big for its britches. Well, guess what, Netflix: the pirate scene is thriving, and it's totally ad-free. I don't watch ads, I don't.

Remember when DVD producers thought it would be profitable to start your DVD with 3 or 4 non-skippable previews etc. Then it got worse. Disney films are the absolute worst: before your kid gets to watch Aladdin you've got something like 10 other blurbs to get through.

Screw you, big media. I hope you and your adverts all choke on a bag of dicks.

Re: Screw you, Netflix (Score: 1)

by vanderhoth@pipedot.org on 2015-06-03 14:44 (#ABHJ)

To be fair, I have no issue with watching trailers for new shows. It's a good way to keep up to date on what's coming out. I do think the best way to approach it is to have the trailer at the end of a show. That way if you've already seen it you can just start the next episode, if you're interested you can watch it, and it's not interrupting whatever you're currently watching. I don't like the idea of having the trailers at the beginning, there's only so many times I could see a trailer for Dare Devil before I'd get tired of it. And seeing as my wife and I watched six episodes of Glee yesterday, I'd get sick of it really quick.

It's just like Cable TV (Score: 2, Insightful)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-06-03 17:46 (#ABZ3)

When cable TV was first introduced, we were promised no commercials because the revenue was coming from the monthly fee, and the channel selection would attract more customers and revenue. Well, there were two bad effects from that. First, the content providers very quickly went to commercials, I suppose instead of raising rates, and worse we ended up getting forced to buy content we don't want. Although I dropped cable over 15 years ago, and satellite about 5-6 years later, I never appreciated having to pay for ESPN. I'm sure the programming is fine, but I'm not interested in sports, but there was never an option to not pay for it.

Now Netflix is in the same boat. Obviously, they are looking to generate more revenue, but given that selection isn't a big draw, no commercials is a major feature. If they want to use commercials, they need to offer an option out with a higher-priced tier. I don't watch a lot of movies on Netflix (because the selection isn't so great, but there's a lot of cool older stuff on there), I mostly watch old TV shows (right now I'm reliving "M*A*S*H"), which I really enjoy and find it a great value. I _will_ pay more for no commercials if I have to, and if I can't, I'll consider dropping Netflix.

Re: It's just like Cable TV (Score: 2, Funny)

by tanuki64@pipedot.org on 2015-06-03 18:40 (#AC2T)

Hihi. when you said "M*A*S*H" I got curious... how long would it take for me to find it on a torrent site... Result: Less than a minute. All 11 seasons complete. Not that I would ever download something like that.... not my genre. ;-)

Re: It's just like Cable TV (Score: 2, Funny)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2015-06-05 13:11 (#AG2Y)

Here's a classic infographic illustrating the difference between watching a legitimately paid for video, vs watching a pirated video. Hint: watching the illegal video is a hundred times easier because all the consumer-antagonistic stuff has been stripped out.

http://boingboing.net/2010/02/18/infographic-buying-d.html

Guess Netflix never saw it then, or were blinded by the glare of gold bullion glinting off their lawyers ...

Re: It's just like Cable TV (Score: 1)

by billshooterofbul@pipedot.org on 2015-06-03 21:43 (#ACDD)

Well, for the record. With At&t uverse they have a decent kids package without ESPN. I like ESPN, but not at the price of packages that include it. I'd pay $5 a month during football season for it, but that's about it.

Re: It's just like Cable TV (Score: 1)

by bryan@pipedot.org on 2015-06-04 17:40 (#AEAW)

I'm still using the original Netflix delivery method: Physical discs mailed to me once a week.

Sure, there are previews and other types of bonus material on DVD/Bluray discs, but they can be easily skipped with the method I use to watch them.

Re: It's just like Cable TV (Score: 1)

by wootery@pipedot.org on 2015-06-05 17:23 (#AGMH)

Most the time it's enough to put in the disc and leave it for a few minutes, before even turning on the TV.

This doesn't work if there's, say, a language prompt before the unskippable ads, but they're fairly rare.

After Show Ads OK (Score: 1)

by gungnirsniper@pipedot.org on 2015-06-03 20:37 (#ACA9)

I don't mind after-show ads, but putting anything longer than 5-10 seconds before something is just batty.