Ads despite paying £10pm for a subscription is criminal

[Martin4]

Genuine unabashed greed. Shameless lack of explanation and definitely not worth it given that:

1. The app is prone to crashing.

2. The bitrate tanks randomly.

3. Crap, nonsensical adverts trying to sell me things I do not and will never need.

4. I have to download a program to even stream it? And the reasons make zero sense! Just have it be in-browser for goodness sake.

Once I'm done with my binge I'm out, indefinitely. Sod this platform.

[redchiz1]

1.  On which device?

2. Ditto. Plus what is your broadband speed?

3.  You need to pay for a separate Boost to avoid ads, these remain present on live programming however. 

4. No you don't, except on Mac and Windows computers.

[RoyB]

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@redchiz1 wrote:

1.  On which device?

2. Ditto. Plus what is your broadband speed?

3.  You need to pay for a separate Boost to avoid ads, these remain present on live programming however. 

4. No you don't, except on Mac and Windows computers.

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And on tablets and smartphones.

I’d be intrigued to know which statute @Martin4 thinks Now are in breach of, though.

[redchiz1]

@RoyB 

You need the app obviously on any device, I was thinking of Macs/PCs and their peculiar requirement to download a separate "player." Or are you just picking nits, as usual? 

[RoyB]

@redchiz1 

Try deleting the Now app off a tablet or smartphone you own, and then starting a programme in a membership you have from Now in the browser.

You will be asked to download the Now app. Or possibly it will be downloaded for you; these things are done rather more slickly on Android and iOS than on Windows or Mac.

@Martin4 said ‘I have to download a program to even stream it? And the reasons make zero sense! Just have it be in-browser for goodness sake’.

So the same; it’s true that the Now app on Android and iOS can act as the front end as well as the back end, but Martin4 is bemoaning that Now is not in-browser; which it isn’t, anywhere.

The way in which what looks like one seamless thing when it works is revealed to be two separate things when it doesn’t was forcibly brought home to me when Safari started to decline to start any programmes from the browser, giving an error message instead,

And I’m pleased to say that I have never had headlice 😛

[redchiz1]

@RoyB 

Rubbish. And you know it. 

[RoyB]

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@redchiz1 wrote:

@RoyB 

Rubbish. And you know it. 

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@redchiz1 

Sorry you can’t see it, then 😢

[RoyB]

@Martin4 @redchiz1 

I found another way of looking at this that might square the circle 😛

Basically, you always need to download an app to use Now, on any device. OK, sometimes the app might already be there, sometimes something will fetch it for you, but it’s always an app. 

And never something browser-based; I don’t know why, probably a security thing based on what the content providers demand.

On phones and tablets, and on PCs and Macs, there’s a browser-based front end, but the actual programme display is always done by the app.

The difference between the phones/tablets and the computers, though, is that with the phones and tablets, you can get the front end either via the browser or directly on the app, but on the computers, you have to use the browser, as the app for these is only the backend.

Which is annoying. And I don’t know why Now have done it this way, as there used to be a complete single app for PC, on the Microsoft Store, so there are no security considerations there.

But this version, which I found much superior, was dropped. Cost of maintaining it, or something; Now never said. Shame 😢

[gavs82008]

@Martin4 

Netflix has ads, Discovery+ has ads. 

Disney already said they will be bringing ads this year. In the US it is NOT any cheaper with the ad tier. 

Paramount+ has intended to bring ads. 

So let's face it, we hate ads of course but all major streaming services will have them in the future. At least we are given the option to get rid of them unlike Discovery+!

[redchiz1]

@gavs82008 

"We" don't ALWAYS hate ads, I was indebted to one recently that allowed me to subscribe to ITVX/Britbox/Canal+ for £2.99 a month instead of the usual £5.99.  🙂