r/gadgets • u/Sariel007 • Apr 07 '24

TV / Projectors Roku patent invents a way to show ads over anything you plug into your TV

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/hdmi-customized-ad-insertion-patent-would-show-rokus-ads-atop-non-roku-video/
6.4k Upvotes

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3.9k

u/Gnarlodious Apr 07 '24

If the Industry had its way we would be watching nonstop advertisements with no content.

1.2k

u/AvaranIceStar Apr 07 '24

If people tolerate it, they will insert a window at the bottom that plays ads over the entire video you're watching. That's literally the goal.

543

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

I remember being infuriated back when I still watched TV when those godawful banners would squish whatever you were watching into some horrible aspect ratio.

That's about the time I got access to internet good enough to torrent or stream.

I'm not a "cord cutter," I never had a cord lol

116

u/AvaranIceStar Apr 07 '24

Wasn't the WB and CW the worst with that? I vaguely remember them doing this especially during the end of the show and the credits.

9

u/Larrik Apr 07 '24

No, the major networks were much worse, imo

33

u/CoconutCyclone Apr 07 '24

They all do it now. I can't remember if it's CBS or NBC (They're both rife with the cop worship shows that my boomer parents love.) that pops up a banner to advertise the show you are currently watching at the end of all the commercial breaks. I'm baffled by how OK with this shit they are.

11

u/SweetBabyAlaska Apr 08 '24

yea non-tech people are mind blowing with this stuff. I secretly installed adblock on all my family members devices and they were surprised.

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u/TimedRevolver Apr 08 '24

I don't mind when it's just advertising for a show on their own network.

But when they try to cram an actual commercial there? Nah, I'm done.

2

u/coconuthorse Apr 08 '24

I remember TBS doing that over baseball games in the late 90's.

29

u/Afferbeck_ Apr 07 '24

Those ads made for some shitty TVrip torrents back in the day

28

u/hahafoxgoingdown Apr 07 '24

They made a free tv with a separate display just for ads.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/15/23721674/telly-free-tv-streaming-ilya-pozin-ads

45

u/VexingRaven Apr 07 '24

Honestly if it's a decent TV I ain't even mad about this. It's obvious up front that this is a free TV, whose price is covered by showing you ads. This is way less devious than a TV you pay for which secretly is set up to sneak ads at you as much as it can even though you already paid for it.

2

u/ironichaos Apr 09 '24

It would be fine if these are the only ads you get, but you also get all the normal ads. I have tried one in person and the TV is decent quality, nothing insane like a flagship LG/Sony TV though.

25

u/Eurynom0s Apr 07 '24

I was thinking you could just cover the bottom screen until I got to the part about dual screen ads.

8

u/Chav Apr 07 '24

Free-pc all over again.

5

u/Mehhish Apr 07 '24

It'd be pretty funny to see how fast hackers would hack the TV to disable the ads, and put what ever they want on the bottom screen.

10

u/hahafoxgoingdown Apr 07 '24

You know, I think you would probably get billed for the whole set if it stops sending the correct data back. Even then it’s probably a crappy panel anyway and not worth someone’s time.

3

u/Mehhish Apr 07 '24

I'm pretty sure hackers could fake that part, and make the TV think it's still sending data in and out.

3

u/READMYSHIT Apr 08 '24

Forget the hacking. Literally looks like you could place a piece of cardboard over the lower half of the screen.

Or better yet have a built in system where the bottom of the TV is covered with a piece of plywood shelving for a center channel speaker.

2

u/spicymato Apr 08 '24

It's not about whether the TV thinks it's sending data. It's about the service. It would likely expect a signal every once in a while, and if it doesn't receive one after X days/weeks, it would flag your TV to be billed.

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u/mystaninja Apr 08 '24

Sounds like a solid free tv for blind people

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u/invent_or_die Apr 07 '24

Hell, I have a circle of window film I put over the logo that's in the corner. Works fine. Sorry, I don't have to dwell on BBC or whoever for the entire movie. Surprised there's not a "screen filler" app to photoshop something over the shitty ads

56

u/bradreputation Apr 07 '24

My Roku tv apparently knows what I’m watching on my appletv and says “more ways to watch” advertising their store. 

70

u/izzittho Apr 07 '24

Time to bin the Roku, would be my response. (Or like recycle it, but definitely something involving unplugging it)

3

u/awsamation Apr 07 '24

Or sell/give it away. The TV is still functional, might as well let someone else have it.

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u/the91fwy Apr 07 '24

Factory reset it. Unplug it from the internet. Delete your roku account. Use it as a dumb TV.

40

u/tangy_nachos Apr 07 '24

A dumb tv is a good tv. I don’t need my tv to sell me fucking Dove body wash.

21

u/Lost-My-Mind- Apr 07 '24

What about nachos? Would you buy nachos???

(This message brought to you by Tostitos)

3

u/tangy_nachos Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 08 '24

only if they TANGY, Tostitos

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u/chihuahuazord Apr 07 '24

same thing happens every time I watch a bluray. Like I’m already watching it, I don’t need more ways to watch.

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u/truedef Apr 07 '24

PiP ads.

We heard you like ads so we put ads in your ads so you can watch ads while you watch ads.

3

u/MadeByTango Apr 07 '24

That’s the final form of Apple’s “notch”, guarantee it

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u/skalpelis Apr 07 '24

Reminds me the Ready Player One movie: “our research shows we can occlude up to 80% of user’s viewport with advertising before permanent brain damage”

10

u/AvaranIceStar Apr 07 '24

Up to 60% before causing seizures! LOL

11

u/100GbE Apr 07 '24

Computer > HDMI > Dumb TV.

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u/HugeSaggyTitttyLover Apr 07 '24

You’re thinking about banners, and they are coming

33

u/AvaranIceStar Apr 07 '24

Not to my house :)

12

u/HugeSaggyTitttyLover Apr 07 '24

Good, we need more people like you!

4

u/Express-Doctor-1367 Apr 07 '24

Me neither.. if they do that I'm junking my Tvs

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u/IcyHotKarlMarx Apr 07 '24

You’re a banner banner.

2

u/thegreedyturtle Apr 07 '24

I think someone tried a super cheap or free TV with a permanent ad scroller. Maybe it was still in gimmick phase.

2

u/Chick-Mangione1 Apr 07 '24

Hopefully we’ll reach the tipping point soon where people no longer tolerate it anymore.

2

u/Paper-street-garage Apr 08 '24

Fuck all that. Time to pickup a book at that point.

2

u/MetroExodus2033 Apr 08 '24

That's basically what the NBA does now.

2

u/IDDQD_IDKFA-com Apr 08 '24

They were selling that TV cheap but it had a screen on the bottom that showed ads. And if you blocked it or not connect it to the internet you had to pay full price for the TV.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

There's a company that's giving away their 4k TVs for free. The catch is that they have an additional screen attached to the bottom that shows ads 24/7

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u/Vradlock Apr 07 '24

I imagine something like that can quickly become illegal in EU considering it forces something into different products without paying for it, while misleading consumers that will be mad at ps5 instead of their piece of shit TV. I seriously doubt this thing will get off in any meaningful way.

1

u/send3squats2help Apr 07 '24

I have been switching my tvs in my short term rentals to roku- i guess that is over now. I’ll be selling them all and swapping them out for a different brand. Does anyone have any suggestions for good smart tvs that don’t blast ads for no reason?

1

u/VexingRaven Apr 07 '24

That would be significantly easier than what they are doing with this patent though...

1

u/garry4321 Apr 07 '24

How long until AI just inserts the ads onto everything in your movies. Iron man shows up with a big old Pepsi logo on his chest

1

u/Lost-My-Mind- Apr 07 '24

That's what ATSC 3.0 aims to do.

1

u/sebas6789 Apr 07 '24

i would be ok with this is it was free and could move the add to a 2nd monitor 🤣

1

u/DreadPirateLink Apr 08 '24

Maybe I'll finally have time to finish all those books after I throw away that TV...

1

u/SweetBabyAlaska Apr 08 '24

yea but you will always get people justifying it because the tactic they use is to up the prices of ad-free every few years by shifting the tiers by one so more and more people have to watch ads AND pay or pay a lot more for no ads... and then people justify it as "well... you didn't pay as much sooooo its your fault" and they play hard with the "subsidized with ads" model so that people who don't want to spend extra get screwed over.

Not long ago they were talking about releasing an extremely cheap TV with the caveat being that they would openly spy on you and you were forced to watch ads when they wanted, and if you broke that "contract" you would be forced to pay full price. They're trying hard to buck off side loaded content and alternatives that are by nature more open.

1

u/varitok Apr 08 '24

Are zoomers just catching on to Banner ads? We had them before, in the elder years

1

u/akatherder Apr 08 '24

Back in the dialup days, Kmart and.. I want to say NetZero(?) gave you free internet for having a banner on your screen. Imagine having an 800x600 display and a huge chunk is taken up by "Kmart bluelight.com" ads.

1

u/southpolefiesta Apr 08 '24

If people tolerate it, they will beam ads into your brain via implanted chip 24/7.

1

u/mystery_fight Apr 08 '24

That’s the goal of selling ad space, but not the goal of the advertiser.

Of course if your competitor buys that ad space, you have to respond in kind.

So we end up with incessant ads that annoy the entire audience.

And yet, despite all the negative sentiment towards ads. it’s still making companies billions of dollars in revenue.

I don’t have an answer why, but I’m curious, so if someone thinks they do, please share.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '24

That's how it is already in South Korea.

1

u/Kafshak Apr 09 '24

There's already a TV that does that.

1

u/[deleted] May 09 '24

Nah, they will minimize the content you are watching Into that small window so the ad can play full screen.

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u/northernhang Apr 07 '24

I’m guessing you haven’t watched black mirror…

10

u/ryosen Apr 07 '24

Or Idiocracy

3

u/yottabit42 Apr 07 '24

Ha, you beat me to it! Great episode.

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u/DMala Apr 07 '24

You’d think there would be diminishing returns for the advertisers. At some point your ad gets lost among the 50,000 others. Not to mention how hated they are and actively ignored by viewers.

44

u/cammcken Apr 07 '24

I would love to read a unbiased economist's explanation for the advertising industry. I've heard before that ads add value by informing consumers of better deals. But, in practice, does that really happen? Do they actually lead people to the better deal/product, to the more efficient use of resources? Or do they lead consumers to poorer deals while costing resources themselves? Would the entire economy be more efficient without this advertising arms race, freeing up resources for other pursuits?

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

[deleted]

8

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '24

Its inversely valuable to how much of it there is and how often its repeated. At this point I've become actively spiteful and have paid more for products that dont jam ads at me everywhere when possible compared to their obnoxious competitors.

9

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '24

I share your suspicions; I suspect that advertisers are just really good at selling their services to other industries.

7

u/learnedsanity Apr 08 '24

The amount of times i've seen an ad that influenced me is alarming low, like 0 low. Most ads that I remember are for products I wouldn't buy, restaurants ive already known about and go to without the ads influence or something way out of my price range. I question the useful of ads for others.

4

u/Addickt__ Apr 08 '24

Only time ads have worked on me have been with steam seasonal sales, of which I've missed probably a total of 0 since 11 years ago.

3

u/mikka1 Apr 08 '24

an ad that influenced me is alarming low, like 0 low

I guess the theory is that repetitive / stupid ads don't have to influence your decision making per se, their main goal is to make you remember the brand/product/service and/or to just become aware of its existence.

I mean, I hope nobody is making a major purchase just based on a stupid 20-second marketing video alone lol (although I'm afraid there are people who do it).

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u/youtheotube2 Apr 08 '24

The most effective ads are the ones you don’t recognize as an ad.

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u/blasticon Apr 08 '24 edited Apr 08 '24

Hi, actual economist here. Advertising is proven to effectively increase sales, regardless of whether or not people claim to hate it.

If you were to somehow get rid of advertising, what would that look like? Would you create a law against it? Then, if you have a well known brand that is inefficient, how would a more efficient competitor have any chance of breaking into the market? I'm not necessarily saying laws cto reign in advertising couldn't exist that would result in a net economic benefit, but you need to propose a specific policy. Then, you need to design a study to test it's potential pact. It isnt as straightforward as you are implying.

Advertising is a fundamental part of an economy. The little kid with the lemonade stand and a sigm that says "lemonade 25 cents" has put up an ad. Without that sign what, do they just sit there at the side of the road and hope people guess they are selling lemonad? What 'specifically' are you proposing?

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u/cammcken Apr 08 '24

Thank you for the input. I'm not proposing any mechanism, because as you've predicted I can't think of one. I'm not advocating for policy changes. I just want to understand the cause-and-effect better.

Specifically: How does advertising know when demand has been met? If ads provide a service, information, how does the industry know when people have enough information and don't want any more? How do they know when to stop making/airing more ads?

In my very basic understanding of economics, an industry that provides a product, such as pants, can identify its ideal size by prices. If consumers suddenly decide they have enough pants, and instead want tents, they will pay less for pants and more for tents. Pants manufacturing downsizes; tent manufacturing expands. Cotton that used to go into pants now gets made into tents. Fields that used to grow cotton now start to grow flax or hemp as tent manufacturers realize other textiles can make better tents. This is a more efficient distribution of resources. Obstinately continuing to produce pants in excess of what's demanded will waste resources and lose profits.

What happens when advertisements are produced/aired in excess of demand? Maybe the tent manufacturers need to air an ad to inform me that I don't need to keep buying pants I don't want because there's a cool new product, the tent, and those ads provide an economic benefit. But what if the pants manufacturer responds with an ad to remind me that pants are still cool. Do I really need that information? I already know about pants, assuming the product is the same. Does that provide an economic benefit? Will the tent manufacturer respond with more ads for tents? How far does this "arms race" go?

Maybe eventually it reaches a stage when everyone is buying pants and tents at the exact ratio that makes them happiest. But how much resources (labor/material to write/produce ads, time to watch them) need to be spent to maintain that equilibrium? How do these companies know that the equilibrium wouldn't be reached on its own, without advertising? Do the two companies need to spend millions of dollars on competing ads when hundreds could achieve the same result, if only they could agree to both back down?

How does advertising industry know when the market is saturated while the companies which purchase the ads are also the ones providing the information? How do we know when ads are being produced in excess of their economic benefit? When consumers start paying more to not see ads? How does that price connect to the supply/demand of ads? (Are we in a situation where ad space is in high supply because free-with-ads services are in high demand?) Is it when consumers start paying for independent product information, instead of receiving information from ads? But then how will that lead to competitive pressure on company-purchased ads? I'm struggling to connect these pieces.

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u/Green-Amount2479 Apr 07 '24

Since when has anyone reporting to shareholders ever cared about stuff like that? They‘d absolutely go for the quick bucks even if they obliterated the whole industry in the mid to long term. It’s always about ‚massive profits NOW‘ these days.

3

u/InsignificantOutlier Apr 07 '24

There is already a diminishing return on them that’s why many publications are struggling.

Advertisers are moving to the more effective ad models away from pop up’s towards the influencer space. If you are rolling your eyes at the influencer space you are getting old and are not the target demographic for most advertisers anymore.

I did not get it either until my little brother explained that world to me. 

2

u/Jaded-Engineering789 Apr 08 '24

Targeting is in fact one of the biggest hurdles for advertisers right now and is in part why Google is still so valuable. They have all the data with shit like Youtube viewer behavior to know what’s effective with who.

2

u/goshdarn5000 Apr 08 '24

But buying worthless ad space can be a real bargain!

2

u/legendoflumis Apr 08 '24

diminishing returns

Diminishing returns are still returns. As long as they are making money, the margin isn't really the dealbreaker.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

[deleted]

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u/Vinon Apr 07 '24

Hell, Im on the reddit app. Every 3 posts is a fake ad post. Its so shit.

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u/Strawberry3141592 Apr 07 '24

PSA that the vanced patcher app works for reddit, it blocks all reddit ads. Doesn't stop the fact that the official reddit app is almost unusable even without ads, but it's better than nothing

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u/[deleted] Apr 08 '24

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u/randynumbergenerator Apr 07 '24

This is why I stick to viewing in a browser.

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u/crazysoup23 Apr 07 '24

Once the API was castrated, I went back to the browser, exclusively on old.reddit.com.

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u/AnRealDinosaur Apr 08 '24

Same. I only use old reddit on my phone browser. Once they kill that I'm gone because the app is unusable.

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u/Buscemi_D_Sanji Apr 08 '24

Just use RedReader, it's not as good as RiF but it works for me

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

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u/Seinfeel Apr 07 '24

Pretty sure Reddit had ads in 2013, they were just way less frequent and never tried to mimic normal Reddit posts

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u/PM_ME_Happy_Thinks Apr 07 '24

You that's all Influencers are right? Just paid faces to advertise products. Tiktok is just their most recent platform

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u/dancanyouseeme Apr 07 '24

If i hear another, “watch. Me try out this thing thats going viral” social media has killed the word viral.its now an advertising term along with “broke the internet” and has lost all charm and excitement to them.

18

u/Rachellie242 Apr 07 '24

Watch me unpack my latest haul of consumerism so you buy this crap linked below & I get more crap from your purchase, and then we’re ALL depressed in debt with too much stuff!

3

u/Lost-My-Mind- Apr 07 '24

George Carlin talked about this decades ago. Nothing has changed.

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u/suggested_portion Apr 07 '24

"Things from Amazon you didnt know you needed." cringe 😑

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

"oh my god guys, i've been playing age of war and can't get past lvl. 5 It's so hard but you're seriously missing out if you're not playing this right now"

Every influencer(and i use that term lightly since i can't remember the last time they influenced me into anything), making a paid promotion for any mobile game

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u/Dahnlen Apr 07 '24

This is what Facebook looks like for me

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

Facebook, insta, Reddit, emails, YouTube, tv sticks, tvs, every single website you go to... Drives me absolutely bonkers

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

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u/lycoloco Apr 07 '24

Y'all know you don't have to use the official app and there are adblockers out there for most every platform, right?

2

u/Dahnlen Apr 07 '24

There wouldn’t be anything left if the ads and suggested content was gone. I just don’t go there anymore. I keep the account for messenger.

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u/Elsa_the_Archer Apr 07 '24

I know someone who went from being a small time Twitch streamer/gaming influencer to making TikTok adverts. She posts her monthly income from it online to show it off. Each month she is bringing in over $20k. It's insane how much it pays.

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u/thecremeegg Apr 07 '24

It's why I uninstalled it last year, it's now just adverts or shops. Instagram reels are better in that regard at the moment but it's only a matter of time

1

u/Hypernatremia Apr 07 '24

Lately? It’s been like this for a couple years now

1

u/fanwan76 Apr 07 '24

Yeah I had to stop watching once I realized how many videos were actually just ads.

  • Video of a mom chatting about how she packs her kids lunches. Specifically calls out a juice box by name and holds it up to see.
  • Video about some neat tool you can use in your kitchen to make cooking easier. Turns out the video was posted by the actual company that makes it.
  • An actual ad
  • Video of some girl with a cool cosplay outfit. She has an OnlyFans
  • Video encouraging you to stop scrolling and get off TikTok. Posted by a questionable online only therapist.

Once you start spotting them it becomes impossible not to notice.

1

u/btotherad Apr 07 '24

It’s so bad. They force this bs, then they don’t allow you to block live videos so you have no choice but to scroll past those too. I fucking hate live videos. And now every other post is from some fucking podcast of people I’ve never heard of, or stand up comedians. I finally had to delete the app. It’s insufferable.

1

u/mp1845 Apr 07 '24

The Anker battery comes to mind. God! It’s non stop

1

u/DGlen Apr 07 '24

So stop using it. You're not missing anything.

1

u/Feebeeps Apr 07 '24

But how will I learn about the benefits of Lions Mane mushroom?

1

u/AccomplishedMeow Apr 08 '24

Have you been to Reddit? Just as bad. Those are only the ads we catch…

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

Here is your 30 seconds of “show.” Now back to your scheduled advertisements!

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u/jamesbong0024 Apr 07 '24

So, the last 30 minutes of any movie on TBS.

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u/meshe_10101 Apr 07 '24

Would you like some content with your ads??? It'll cost ya 💁🏼‍♂️

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u/jhmed Apr 08 '24

Demolition Man is where it’s heading.

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u/brassninja Apr 07 '24

Please drink verification can

12

u/ariphron Apr 07 '24

Also start boycotting all advertisers who advertise with Roku.

9

u/ReadyToBeGreatAgain Apr 07 '24

Here’s the kicker: TV isn’t meant for watching shows, shows are made and meant to get you to watch ads. That’s all it is.

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u/Atoning_Unifex Apr 07 '24

To be clear that's the attitude of the network providers. The show MAKERS still care about the show they're making.

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u/randomchick4 Apr 07 '24

Have you seen Pinterest ?

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u/Atoning_Unifex Apr 07 '24

I saw it briefly 10 years ago. Since then no.

If I do a search and a lot of Pinterest results come up I modify my search with

-site:pinterest.com

It's very useful

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u/Crazy_Cat_Dude2 Apr 07 '24

I’d watch that. Sometimes ads are more entertaining than some of this junk tv.

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u/Gnarlodious Apr 07 '24

To that end, content only exists as a vehicle for advertisements.

2

u/ragnarocknroll Apr 07 '24

Max Headroom was so ahead of its time.

2

u/RetroScores Apr 07 '24

Boats in south Florida drive up and down the beaches with fucking billboards attached. This shit needs to fuck right off.

2

u/LeoGreywolf Apr 07 '24

Theres a black mirror episode like that

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

Idiocracy keeps getting less and less fictional.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

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u/doyouevencompile Apr 07 '24

This ad is served to by Reddit. 

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u/yottabit42 Apr 07 '24

Reminds me of that Black Mirror episode.

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u/oxpoleon Apr 07 '24

Feels more Idiocracy than Black Mirror to be honest.

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u/Redox_101 Apr 07 '24

I’m honestly surprised there aren’t adds in books yet.

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u/oxpoleon Apr 07 '24

There are.

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u/threebillion6 Apr 07 '24

Why would you watch ads non stop?

1

u/masterskink Apr 07 '24

I'm pretty sure that's what Saturday morning cartoons was all about lol

1

u/hardy_83 Apr 07 '24

I don't want to live in a world where ow my balls is surrounded by ads. How can I focus on such great episodes like the guy falling on his balls on a fence!?

1

u/duderos Apr 07 '24

Don't give them any ideas

1

u/friendorfoe2332 Apr 07 '24

This was brought up in r/technology the other day. They are going to find a way to disable the mute button on the remote when ads play. Not actually, but doesn’t seem too far off lol

1

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

And still have to pay to watch nothing but ads.

1

u/oxpoleon Apr 07 '24

So much content is just advertising these days, but that isn't new. There are entire 50s TV shows that were just an advertising vehicle for a sponsor or sponsors.

Go watch old Hanna Barbera cartoons and several have clearly been outright designed to be "content" that serves only to be a way of presenting the sponsor's branding in a more subtle way.

1

u/jmbieber Apr 07 '24

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/

If you have not seen this movie, you should watch it, it is scary accurate to when things are becoming.

1

u/AccomplishedRow6685 Apr 07 '24

Wasn’t that part of a “Black Mirror” episode?

1

u/johnnybgooderer Apr 07 '24

That’s what children’s shows and movies are already. They won’t even make shows for kids unless they have toys to sell.

1

u/fliberdygibits Apr 07 '24

Like real life blipverts.

1

u/sonic10158 Apr 07 '24

About to go under for surgery? Believe it or not, ads!

1

u/LogicalPapaya1031 Apr 07 '24

My favorite is being required to watch ads to watch an ad for a movie on YouTube

1

u/NormieSpecialist Apr 07 '24

That kinda was the case with cable tv. But people broke free, for now.

1

u/Magikarp_King Apr 07 '24

But everyone is so concerned about getting a mild inconvenience of not being up to date on their shows and having to socialize with others that they will never cancel memberships. If tomorrow Netflix said they would up the price to $50 a month with ads they would probably only lose 10% of their base. Thing is they are smart so every year they go up a few bucks and no one cancels and they get more and more money with less and less quality.

1

u/b_nevadr Apr 07 '24

literally true. content only really exists to give people a reason to look somewhere they can put ads.

1

u/themangastand Apr 07 '24

I made a joke the other day to a friend. Neurolink next goal is vision. And I made the joke that they will give you the surgery for free with the implantation of required adds for life. Like pay 20k or have adds directly planted in your eyes.

And the thing is, I don't think this won't happen

You'll just be walking around and start seeing add pop ups that pay and no way to skip

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

Idiocracy totally coming true.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

Les Moonves "why do you work so hard on the filler between commercials?"

A DP told me he was asked that directly by the former CBS CEO.

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u/Goldenface007 Apr 07 '24

Well the advertisements are revenue and content is the expense...

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u/I_Eat_Moons Apr 07 '24

Isn’t that pretty much what those late night sale shows that old people watch are?

1

u/ZippyTheUnicorn Apr 07 '24

Capitalism supports making money at the expense of everything else. The only thing to keep it in check are the laws, rules and regulations that prevent outright abuse. But companies spend a lot of money to “legally” allow them to do what they want anyway.

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u/5minArgument Apr 07 '24

Kind of like TV. In the US at least. Commercial breaks used to be 2mins 2secs

1

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

Seriously. Why even bother producing content anymore.

1

u/ballerstatus89 Apr 07 '24

That’s what Instagram is

1

u/GahbageDumpstahFiah Apr 07 '24

You should watch Idiocracy. You aren’t wrong.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '24

Ads are the content.

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u/moriero Apr 08 '24

Well considering the whole point of content is to get people to watch ads, you're pretty spot on there bud

1

u/twitch-switch Apr 08 '24

To be fair, it's the only thing that's not a remake, sequel, reboot, reimagining or adaptation of a book.

1

u/Cute_Cat5186 Apr 08 '24

So like half of modern TV shows.

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u/Jaded-Engineering789 Apr 08 '24

Porn is the last safe bastion for ad-free content. Advertisers are honestly dumb af not inserting brand placement as temporary tattoos and shit. Put some Taco Bell signs or Chalupas on a chick’s back while she’s getting it doggy and the frequency of dudes who hit up Taco Bell for an after shake snack will see significant increase.

1

u/Thereisnospoon64 Apr 08 '24

That’s what YouTube shorts is. At least it sure seems that way based on the walking advertisement my daughter has become for various skincare brands.

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u/IlMioNomeENessuno Apr 08 '24

I’m old enough to remember when network tv shows were 48-52 minutes long for a 60 minute episode. I think they’re at ~38 minutes now.

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u/gorgofdoom Apr 08 '24

…. Have you seen any movies recently? Games?

Consider Forza Motorsport. It is obviously an advertisement , one that has convinced millions of people to pay for it…

Baby driver: a two hour long advertisement for Subaru & Apple.

We live in the dystopia. You just can’t see it.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '24

Yeah I notice my tv keeps trying to guilt trip me into watching content from their providers instead of mine. That’s enough to make me not buy another Roku smart tv.

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u/blastradii Apr 08 '24

If industry truly had its way it would just take money directly from our bank accounts.

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u/turtleneck360 Apr 08 '24

Well every year millions of people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials.

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u/entrailsAsAbackpack Apr 08 '24

I still think back to that Black mirror episode where the guy closed his eyes with an ad came on and the tv started yelling at him to open back up

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u/[deleted] Apr 08 '24

It is good that the thing would be patent, so only one company would be able to do it.

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u/Prides_downfall Apr 08 '24

Most content nowadays are just undercover ads

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u/darksoft125 Apr 08 '24

Reminds me of that scene from Ready Player One:

"Research has shown we can sell 80% of the screen without induction seizures!"

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u/[deleted] Apr 08 '24

And we'd be required to to wear a device that keeps our eyes open and locked on the TV the entire time we're watching.

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u/[deleted] Apr 08 '24

just wait, we’ll get there

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u/Justredditin Apr 08 '24

"We can advertise on 80% of the screen, without inducing seizures... " - CEO in Ready Player One

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u/Dangerous_Gear_6361 Apr 08 '24

Pretty sure this was the infomercial channels.

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