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Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut






Has any country passed laws limiting advertising, like commercials, internet ads, etc?

A while back i watched the dr. who christmas special with was 2 hours. Well, right about 50 minutes were ads. Out of 120 minutes only 70 minutes were the actual show, the rest, nearly half, was ads, commercials, etc.

Man, it's like going to a restaurant and paying for a 12 oz. steak, and when your plate shows up there's 7 oz of steak and 5 oz of garbage on it...

We pay for cable tv, we pay for internet, so why are we constantly being hit in the face with ads? When tv was free over the air, yes, i see why there had to be ads to support it. Ok.

But now we pay for tv and internet, and we have more ads than when it was free.

If we're paying for programming, i think we should demand some limits on ads. When 50 minutes of a 120 minute program is ads, that's just too damn much.


"But the universe is a big place, and whatever happens, you will not be missed..." 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

 Matt Swain wrote:

We pay for cable tv, we pay for internet, so why are we constantly being hit in the face with ads?

I suspect that it's because you made a poor choice of service. Paid streaming services don't generally have ads during the show. That seems to be pretty much just a cable TV thing, and it will likely get worse as cable networks continue to lose market share and therefore revenue to online services.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/03/14 21:46:08


 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

even worse as a BBC show Dr Who never
had adverts in originally either

(although, sadly, it is now shot with slots they can be dropped into so it's easier to sell to America)

 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

Yeah, it airs on ABC (our national broadcaster) here, also with no ads on either original broadcast or their stream. That would be weird. I think Netflix also has it, here.

 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






This is why I rely on streaming services. That and I can get an aerial signal where I live.

I find them really intrusive as a result, let alone their mind numbing banality.

Pretty much the only time I see them is if I’m watching Walking Dead on NowTV, and even then only if I’m watching it as it broadcasts.

The only law I’m aware of is one in the US, and I think it’s state specific, that prevents broadcasters cranking them out at a louder default volume.

In the U.K., we tend to get four ad breaks an hour. But from American imports, particularly documentaries they seem far more frequent. It feels like no more than five minutes before a question is asked, only to be followed with a recap of what I’ve just watched. So out of a maybe 45 minute show with the ads completely stripped out, there’s maybe 20 minutes of actual, bona fide content.

I’m fairly confident that’s not an accurate figure, but it certainly feels like that. This has of course fed into a perception of “hurr durr ‘Muricams has no attention span”. But that’s putting the horse before the cart. Rather when that’s how your programming is presented, that’s what you adept to. And even then, it’s not exactly through choice, otherwise the US wouldn’t make all those wonderful movies.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/03/14 23:15:34


   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

And then eventually streaming services will introduce advertisements.

Then they'll introduce a new higher-priced "add free" tier.

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Made in gb
Lord of the Fleet






London

Some services such as ITV and Channel 4 are already doing that. It's not the worst as the service is free to begin with.
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




 H.B.M.C. wrote:
And then eventually streaming services will introduce advertisements.

Then they'll introduce a new higher-priced "add free" tier.


That's how Hulu started here as one of the early streaming services. It was free, but with advertisements. Then you could sub for fewer ads, then sub for more for no ads. They basically conditioned people into subscription fees because their tolerance for a couple minutes of advertising was so low. (Despite it being far less than the amount of advertising on actual TV)

By way of comparison, the last Doctor Who special on BBC America was 72 minutes of program in a 120 minute slot, so 48 minutes of advertising.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/03/15 00:37:12


Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka






Wasn't one of the selling points for cable TV in the USA the lack of adverts originally? And then the ads crept in. I'm sure the same will happen with streaming TV too.

In the UK, I believe there are limits on the amount of time spent on ad breaks per hour; in the UK it's 7 or 9 minutes per hour depending on the specific broadcaster, in the EU generally it's 12 minutes per hour (from this PDF from OFCOM, the UK broadcast regulator: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/19083/advertising_minutage.pdf )

Streaming services may not be covered under these rules, as they're not broadcast services. In general, I prefer to record a programme from the UK commercial stations (and Channel 4) then watch it later so I can fast-forward through the ad breaks. On their streaming services, the ad breaks are generally locked so you can't do that.

The reason many BBC shows are 45 minutes long (e.g Doctor Who or David Attenborough's natural history programmes) is so they fill a 1-hour slot on US TV. Sometimes they run in a 45-minute slot on the Beeb, sometimes (like David Attenborough's shows) they have a making of segment at the end that's cut from the US broadcasts to fit the ads in.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/03/15 00:41:40


 
   
Made in au
Anti-Armour Swiss Guard






Newcastle, OZ

There are advertising limits per hour on Australian FTA (free to air) TV.
Not just how much per hour* but also what type of advertising is allowed. No cigarette brand ads, no doctors or prescription meds and limited legal practice advertising.

I'm OVER 50 (and so far over everyone's BS, too).
Old enough to know better, young enough to not give a ****.

That is not dead which can eternal lie ...

... and yet, with strange aeons, even death may die.
 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
Wasn't one of the selling points for cable TV in the USA the lack of adverts originally?

Originally, cable was just a way of guaranteeing a steady signal instead of relying on an aerial. It carried the same televised channels as broadcast TV, ads and all. Dedicated cable channels came later.


 chromedog wrote:
There are advertising limits per hour on Australian FTA (free to air) TV.
Not just how much per hour* but also what type of advertising is allowed. No cigarette brand ads, no doctors or prescription meds and limited legal practice advertising.

There are also timeslot requirements that limit when certain types of ads can be shown, as there is with movies/series and so on, and IIRC the number of ads per hour varies depending on the time of day and the type of program.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/03/15 02:04:59


 
   
Made in us
Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle






 chromedog wrote:
no doctors or prescription meds and limited legal practice advertising.
That would kill a third to half of US advertising (not sarcasm, sadly).

Tell your doctor you want this medication!
You may be eligible for financial conversation!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/03/15 04:25:37


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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Voss wrote:
 H.B.M.C. wrote:
And then eventually streaming services will introduce advertisements.

Then they'll introduce a new higher-priced "add free" tier.


That's how Hulu started here as one of the early streaming services. It was free, but with advertisements. Then you could sub for fewer ads, then sub for more for no ads. They basically conditioned people into subscription fees because their tolerance for a couple minutes of advertising was so low. (Despite it being far less than the amount of advertising on actual TV)

By way of comparison, the last Doctor Who special on BBC America was 72 minutes of program in a 120 minute slot, so 48 minutes of advertising.


Voss beat me to it. Also, doesn't Spotify have adds? YouTube has a premium option, but who would use that I don't know.

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Made in au
Anti-Armour Swiss Guard






Newcastle, OZ

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
 chromedog wrote:
no doctors or prescription meds and limited legal practice advertising.
That would kill a third to half of US advertising (not sarcasm, sadly).

Tell your doctor you want this medication!
You may be eligible for financial conversation!


Yeah, we don't have your ads for Ambien or whatever, with the disclaimers that even at fast-speed take 3 minutes to get through.
There are ads for compensation lawyers, but yeah - we don't get most of the ambulance chaser crowd that fills US advertising.

I'm OVER 50 (and so far over everyone's BS, too).
Old enough to know better, young enough to not give a ****.

That is not dead which can eternal lie ...

... and yet, with strange aeons, even death may die.
 
   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





 chromedog wrote:
There are advertising limits per hour on Australian FTA (free to air) TV.
Not just how much per hour* but also what type of advertising is allowed. No cigarette brand ads, no doctors or prescription meds and limited legal practice advertising.


The bar for amount per hour must be pretty high, I've given up watching movies partway through because the number of ads drove me insane.

But yeah, medication ads in the USA are hilarious, who on earth would want to take half that stuff after listening to the possible side effects. I burst out laughing after hearing one when I was in the US.

"Try our awesome antidepressants! (may cause nausea, weight gain, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, drowsiness, insomnia, constipation, incontinence, dizziness, suicidal thoughts, irritability, vision problems, dry mouth... and depression)"

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/03/15 07:42:10


 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






 trexmeyer wrote:
YouTube has a premium option, but who would use that I don't know.




In my defence, I watch a lot of YouTube. And thanks to work, I tend to Google all sorts of stuff I don’t hold a personal interest in, so the ad selection for me is infuriating.

   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





I just assumed everyone uses an adblocker on youtube.

Though it would be nice if you could unblock ads on channels you like while blocking youtube in general, lol. I don't mind people who do sponsored content within their own videos, but general youtube ads are horrible if you're just flicking through videos or watching short videos, you'll spend more time watching ads than content.

Maybe Google will figure out how to stop the adblockers one day and make YT Premium worth getting.
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I just assumed everyone uses an adblocker on youtube.

Though it would be nice if you could unblock ads on channels you like while blocking youtube in general, lol. I don't mind people who do sponsored content within their own videos, but general youtube ads are horrible if you're just flicking through videos or watching short videos, you'll spend more time watching ads than content.

Maybe Google will figure out how to stop the adblockers one day and make YT Premium worth getting.



Doesn't Google's browser also have an ad blocker built into it?

The whole ads on the net thing is kind of crazy to me in that its a war. The more things cost the more ads there are; but then the more people start to use ad blockers; so the value per ad goes down; so they add more adds and the number of blocker users goes up.....

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Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Web page ads are the worst.

I’m trying to read an article, and it’s constantly resizing itself, cutting off my music for some BARRY SCOTT, and otherwise just ruining the reading experience.

The most irritating are videos that pop up, and then follow you once you’ve scrolled past.

I mean, some people are on limited data, and there you are, gobbling it up with some video about a product so shoddy or pointless nobody would want to buy it.

   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

There are a lot of "Spiky Bits" style websites out there. Sad thing is they rank really well in google and it can be hard to find the real quality articles written and presented by someone who clearly wanted to write a book - never did - and wrote a webpage instead.

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3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Mekboy Hammerin' Somethin'





Dorset, England

According to my Google Fu, Ofcom does set limits;

The total amount of advertising in any one day must not exceed an average of
seven/ nine minutes per hour of broadcasting.

(Seven minutes on channels 3 to 5, nine on channels above that, channels 1 and 2 are BBC so obviously no adverts)

In any one clock hour there must be no more than 12 minutes of advertising spots
and/or teleshopping spots.


I do find adverts on TV less annoying because it is an excuse to make a cup of tea.
Adverts on Youtube are at crazy levels atm, but seem reduced if you watch on the Roku app.
   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





 Overread wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I just assumed everyone uses an adblocker on youtube.

Though it would be nice if you could unblock ads on channels you like while blocking youtube in general, lol. I don't mind people who do sponsored content within their own videos, but general youtube ads are horrible if you're just flicking through videos or watching short videos, you'll spend more time watching ads than content.

Maybe Google will figure out how to stop the adblockers one day and make YT Premium worth getting.



Doesn't Google's browser also have an ad blocker built into it?

The whole ads on the net thing is kind of crazy to me in that its a war. The more things cost the more ads there are; but then the more people start to use ad blockers; so the value per ad goes down; so they add more adds and the number of blocker users goes up.....


I thought the Google Chrome ad blocker was 3rd party?

But maybe you're right, I don't use Chrome any more, Google has gotten a little bit to creeperish for my liking, I use gmail because I've had an account for many years, and youtube because the alternatives aren't great, but avoid anything else google related unless I'm at work because they force us to use it.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Web page ads are the worst.

I’m trying to read an article, and it’s constantly resizing itself, cutting off my music for some BARRY SCOTT, and otherwise just ruining the reading experience.

The most irritating are videos that pop up, and then follow you once you’ve scrolled past.

I mean, some people are on limited data, and there you are, gobbling it up with some video about a product so shoddy or pointless nobody would want to buy it.


There are some sites that I just don't visit now because of ads. If sites give a sob story pop up telling you how they rely on ads so disable your adblocker, I'll often give it a chance and see if the ads are nonintrusive, but if the content is stupidly resized, videos pop up or audio comes on then it's instant close and never to return.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/03/15 12:50:48


 
   
Made in us
Pragmatic Primus Commanding Cult Forces






Southeastern PA, USA

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
And then eventually streaming services will introduce advertisements.

Then they'll introduce a new higher-priced "add free" tier.


HBO Max is going to introduce a cheaper tier that includes ads (and doesn't include the same-day movie releases). So the current service stays as is, but people have a new option to save a few bucks if they're okay with some ads. This seems like a solid approach to me.

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Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka






Youtube's ad algorithm is terrible. Not so much for the choice of ads, although I've never seen one for anything I might want, but because they just seem to break in mid-sentence. They don't seem to be evenly spaced throughout a given video, so I would have thought they'd be inserted automatically at quiet points, but no.
   
Made in si
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I quite watching TV the day it took me 3 hours to see a 90 minute movie, with I think 8x 7-minute ad blocks, the evening news, weather TWICE and lotto drawing all jammed in there.

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 lord_blackfang wrote:
I quite watching TV the day it took me 3 hours to see a 90 minute movie, with I think 8x 7-minute ad blocks, the evening news, weather TWICE and lotto drawing all jammed in there.


Even worse is when they cut part of the movie in addition to all that, so you watch an hour of ads only to miss 10 minutes of the movie anyway!
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





The only ad limitations that I am aware of in the US do not pertain to the volume per hour of ads, but rather the decibel volume differential between diffterent things.

Basically, any given ad can be no more than X% decibels off of the given program's volume when they go to commercial break. So, if your TV is set at a volume level where say, "VOL 15" emits 20 decibels of sound (totally arbitrary number here, dont shoot me), the commercials cannot be programmed to be over like, 22 decibels loud, or 18 decibels at the same volume point on the TV set.


I personally don't think its very effective, as there were still plenty of times where an ad was objectively louder than whatever it was I was watching, and you still have major volume disparities between various advertisers.
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






My weekly foray into broadcast telly just now, as it’s Walking Dead.

Eff me there are a lot of gambling adverts. Like, a lot.


   
Made in au
Anti-Armour Swiss Guard






Newcastle, OZ

Back in the days when "new" shows would take up to a year to hit our screens (if at all), there was a thriving trade in VHS cassettes being posted back and forth between friends of mine and other people they knew in the USA.

Sometimes, they'd edit the adverts out of shows, other times they left them in. The cheesiness of some of those ads would shame a 4 cheese pizza.

I'm OVER 50 (and so far over everyone's BS, too).
Old enough to know better, young enough to not give a ****.

That is not dead which can eternal lie ...

... and yet, with strange aeons, even death may die.
 
   
Made in us
Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle






That such fallacy-ridden displays of half truths are considered acceptable is a symptom of what's wrong with society.

Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page

I chose an avatar I feel best represents the quality of my post history.

I try to view Warhammer as more of a toolbox with examples than fully complete games. 
   
 
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