Sky on-demand content and advertisements

[d2h]

I am interested to hear the opinions of other Sky customers regarding the increasing amount of on-demand programming with advertisements included either pre-roll or throughout the programme.

How do people feel after already paying to access the content and having ads inserted?

For a free service, entirely dependent on advertising income, it would be fully expected. For a premium/paid-for service, unless I am mistaken, I am not aware of any other service that charges customers to view/access the content AND still includes advertisements before/during the available programming.

Are there any other paid-for services that do this or is it just Sky?

[Annie+UK]

The adverts subsidise the cost of the content, without the ads your monthly subscription would be much higher

I'm 99% sure I heard that netflix have adverts for the same reason as above

[xenon81]

Nope, Netflix don't have any adverts

[SDR]

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@d2h wrote:

I am interested to hear the opinions of other Sky customers regarding the increasing amount of on-demand programming with advertisements included either pre-roll or throughout the programme.

How do people feel after already paying to access the content and having ads inserted?

For a free service, entirely dependent on advertising income, it would be fully expected. For a premium/paid-for service, unless I am mistaken, I am not aware of any other service that charges customers to view/access the content AND still includes advertisements before/during the available programming.

Are there any other paid-for services that do this or is it just Sky?

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It cheeses me off a great deal, if they do it I stop watching,

[nolte]

I just fast forward through them

As another paid for service, Also cinemas could have 25 to 30 minutes of ads and previews before their showings

[Annie+UK]

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@nolte wrote:

I just fast forward through them

As another paid for service, Also cinemas could have 25 to 30 minutes of ads and previews before their showings

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That's why I always download stuff where possible 😎 😈

[TimmyBGood]

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@d2h wrote:

For a free service, entirely dependent on advertising income, it would be fully expected. For a premium/paid-for service, unless I am mistaken, I am not aware of any other service that charges customers to view/access the content AND still includes advertisements before/during the available programming.

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As I've noted elsewhere, the notable increase in advertising being injected into on-demand coincided with the launch of 'free' SD Box Sets bundled into 'Signature'...

[d2h]

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@Annie+UK wrote:

The adverts subsidise the cost of the content, without the ads your monthly subscription would be much higher

I'm 99% sure I heard that netflix have adverts for the same reason as above

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Advertising revenue has always been relatively low within the Sky operation and certainly goes nowhere near to subsidising subscriptions.

Regarding your second sentence, that's not the case at all. As stated, every service that carries a subscription fee does so on an ad-free basis. Subscription income mitigates the loss of advertising income.

Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video etc. all have subscription fees in exchange for complete ad-free viewing.

ITV and Channel 4 have free-of-charge services, supported by advertising, or customers can pay £3.99 per month for an ad-free experience.

I find it staggering that Sky can charge the highest subscription fees (extended to their NOW OTT offering) and still insist on advertising.

[d2h]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@d2h wrote:

For a free service, entirely dependent on advertising income, it would be fully expected. For a premium/paid-for service, unless I am mistaken, I am not aware of any other service that charges customers to view/access the content AND still includes advertisements before/during the available programming.

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As I've noted elsewhere, the notable increase in advertising being injected into on-demand coincided with the launch of 'free' SD Box Sets bundled into 'Signature'...

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Interesting take on it - thanks.

For customers like myself who have subscriptions (albeit heavily subsidised as a way to keep my custom) for HD+UHD, Multiroom and all packs except for Kids, I do find it rather farcical that I'm faced so with so much advertising. It's a bitter pill I can just about swallow considering my discounts but if I were paying full price for the whole 'experience', I'm not too sure I would be so forgiving.

Yes, you can quite easily fast forward through them... but that's glossing over the fact that they shouldn't be there in the first place considering the cost of viewing the content in the first instance.

[TimmyBGood]

@d2h 

The big difference is that 'Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video etc' all have vast income streams from elsewhere and are running at huge losses on their existing subscription levels, while Sky actually has to pay for itself.

[daveNOS]

@d2h ITV  and Channel 4 subside the add free version with the advert revenue from the main channels and the free versions of their app.

You can't really compare Sky's business model with those who stream especially when the streaming services are running at huge losses(Netflix for example  are around $14 billion in debt) they only remain viable because they are funded by other sections of the companies that own them, if they didn't have that financial backing you can bet the adverts would be a part of the service.

[Rhonny]

@Annie+UK

That's why I always download stuff where possible

Downloaded content now has ads. That's part of the issue. 

[Annie+UK]

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@Rhonny wrote:

@Annie+UK

That's why I always download stuff where possible

Downloaded content now has ads. That's part of the issue. 

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But not movie, which is what I was refering to

[d2h]

Some interesting takes and points made. 

Thanks all for your input.

[Zunalatte]

Wish there was an option to remove adverts shown in during the actual box sets, even if it was an extra £5 month, I would pay that just to remove the adverts. I can live with the adverts at the beginning of each episode but not during the episode for example. It sort of defeats the whole point of box sets, I may as well just record them when they on one of the sky channels.

Because of this I have stopped watching box sets on Sky and will be reviewing my sky subscription when it comes up for renewal. I don't watch any live channels at all, just the box sets and cinema channels. I absolutely love the Sky Q setup and ease of use, so I would be so disappointed if to lose it.

I can get the apps that I also subscribe to on other devices if I do decide to ditch sky.