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Anonymous User
Not applicable

pre-show adverts -> cancellation

I used to think NowTV was a pretty good service, until they started putting outstandingly irritating adverts onto the start of more and more programs I wanted to watch. These are the adverts for other (######) programmes that you can't skip or fast-forward on the Roku box. (I don't know if it's just Roku - you don't get them when viewing from the web.)

 

The current adverts are particularly loud, offensive, and repetative (especially when looking through several episodes to find the one you want), but forced adverts are never acceptable, least of all on a paid service.

 

I swore at my TV for the last time today. I have cancelled my NowTV subscription on account of this. Is there anyone else here who feels strongly about this? (I know it's not just me, but maybe people on this forum are more tolerant of NowTV's dirty tricks.) Is there some additional way of expressing our dislike of this feature to NowTV? If they removed the adverts, I'd gladly sign up again, so I'd be especially glad to hear about any plans to do that.

 

Thanks,

Tim.

44 REPLIES 44
ukbobboy
Legend

@DarylM

 

You know D

 

It's all in the way you look at those particular words, I lean towards seeing them as saying "we have a new innovative way of creating new revenue streams for us and our partners", while you have a more benevolent interpretation.

 

I believe, in this particular case, we are both right, i.e. there is no mutually exclusive "right" answer, because both scenarios work.

 

 

UK Bob

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@ukbobboy what a load of rubbish. Roku were bragging to other regions that NOW TV have been allowed to edit the homescreen to feature content suited to them as a partner. That's all it is, and it was nothing special about the new box as these features were already available on the other NOW TV boxes.

How on earth you can link NOW TV playing adverts for NOW TV within the NOW TV app to that comment I have no idea.

ukbobboy
Legend

@Anonymous User

 

I thought I made it clear I was not talking about Now TV on it's own, I was talking about how the technology could, and probably would, be applied to Roku's partners throughout the world.

 

You have picked a small portion of my post and put your own spin on it.

 

 

UK Bob

 

PS. Just to let you know, I am neither Pro or Anti any tech company and so have a different outlook than you do.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Why do all these trailers start with a big flashy screen without warning. Some people have health conditions, like myself where this is a real issue.

 

After looking into this much further i found it is possible to block the trailers via your router without effecting the programme itself. (which i find quite ironic as my routers with Sky :P). Once blocked the trailer just skips and your straight into your programme, the only differance is you have the spinning circles for an additional second (and it is only that) while the programme is loading.

 

Though it is stupid customers have to resort to these methods. I would not mind so much if the ads were of interest, not intrusive into my viewing or optional and mostly not bloody annoying or a health risk. Seriously why do they need to be flashing anyway, it not as if we can miss it or skip it!

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Raevelyn: What addresses/IPs did you need to firewall? 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@Anonymous User

 

Sorry i cancelled my NowTV after this and all the other problems that have been introduced recently so havn't been paying attention to these forums much.

 

I would have to look through the large list of blocks i have in my router to remember what i blocked. Though i guess if i post them here it would just be removed by a moderator. If you google roku and sky advertising i.p's and domains i'm sure you find what you need. Many of these ads use the https so you router may not be able to block them all. Will depend on your router/firmware etc (or your hacking skills :P).

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@Anonymous User wrote:

@Jason-C wrote:
The idea is to present you with something else you might like to watch, rather than harrass with things that don't interest you. What show were you watching, and what show was promoted? We can also look into changing things to make them more relevant.

Thanks for your reply, Jason.

 

I'm with @dr_necessitor, I want to find what to watch myself, rather than have it shoved in my face. This is the unique benefit of a streaming service, so why are you trying to spoil it by emulating the lack of choice of broadcast TV? Even if you found the perfect programme for me, you just taint it by forcing a preview down my throat. I find new programmes by looking through listings, or by recommendation from friends who looked through listings.

 

The best way to present your customers with something they might want to watch is to do what you already do fairly well: accurate categorisation and programme description in your listings. Actually, some of your programme descriptions could be improved (a particular bugbear is that the text is often cut off when displayed on Roku), but that's a minor bug in comparison.

 

Even if we (people responding to these threads, and everyone I know) are in a minority in not finding programme adverts useful, you could show that you respect your customers' wishes by the simple expedient of adding a global setting allowing users to disable pre-show previews. This would be even better than allowing a "skip advert" button, which is slow and cumbersome (given the performance I get from your service), should be easy to implement, and would allow you to  monitor how many of your customers really find the previews useful.

 

If you do implement such a fix, please let me know, so I can sign up again 🙂

 

Thanks,

Tim.


Hi Tim, just to say I completely agree with you and have expressed similar opinions on the other thread linked to this topic. A very bad idea, appallingly executed, and it's quite incredible that there should be such change of product experience, with no opt-out option, for subscribers to a paid-for service. I pray they see the error of their ways! Best, Simon.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

So after two months of failing to get a proper answer from NOW TV despite numerous attempts to complain I let my membership lapse. (They also deliberately  ignore and game their complaints procedure so I will be complaining to their Ombudsman)

 

When I hear that they have finally listened to customers I will re-join, but not until.

 

Unbelievably arrogant behaviour from a paid-for service provider.

As a post script to all that has been said so far on this topic, my own take on it is that nothing will change (despite the unpopularity amongst the small number who have noticed and discussed this) and we'll all just have to learn to live with it! At least we have flagged it and registered our disappointment.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

This is shi*, I can't believe Now Tv has sneaked adverts in it's really annoying me. As soon as GOT has finished I am cancelling because I "liked" Now Tv and Netflix for no adverts and instant streaming; but now I have to sit through trailers for shi* I have already seen, or don't want to see