Sky on-demand content and advertisements

[SDR]

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@Zunalatte wrote:

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.

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Totally with you. Don't use Box Sets at all because of adverts. Watching less and less on Sky when I can watch Prime/Netflix/Disney/BritBox etc advert free and even C4 and ITV offer albeit paid for advert free catch up and Box Sets

[Ev71]

UHD downloaded programs don't have ads (besides the UHD ident before & after)

[SDR]

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@Ev71 wrote:

UHD downloaded programs don't have ads (besides the UHD ident before & after)

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True but they don't have subtitles

[Leeny+Mac]

Some very good points made about the pros and cons here.

But the one thing I'd love to know is the percentage of people who actually watch them. I'd hazard a guess its vey very low.

Thus sky are probably upsetting their customers more than anything else.

Like was stated earlier in the thread, I'd be happy to add £5 per month to remove them and boost my viewing entertainment.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Leeny+Mac wrote:

But the one thing I'd love to know is the percentage of people who actually watch them. I'd hazard a guess its vey very low.

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Unfortunately one possible future development is 'unskippable' advertising in advance of on-demand content, in the same way that it was introduced onto some optical disk releases.

[Leeny+Mac]

That's a shame. I guess if this arrives I'll have to reconsider my options regarding none live TV.
Thankfully there are still some options available, unless of coarse they all go the same way.

[Sk148]

They never used to do this. If if you download the programme the adds are still there. Yes you can fast forward them but this ruins the show. This is just a simple case of greed from Sky. 

[LGUser]

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@Sk148 wrote:

They never used to do this. If if you download the programme the adds are still there. Yes you can fast forward them but this ruins the show. This is just a simple case of greed from Sky. 

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It's not just Sky that have adverts in Catch-Up content. This is not something new. I've been with Sky for almost 4 years and nothing much has changed as far as adverts with Catch-Up content. The only thing that's changed is mini-adverts at the start/end of an advert break. It can be Sky Mobile, Coors, a car company, carpets, etc.

[Sk148]

I used to watch game of thrones through catch up and the only advert used just ever be the Sky Atlantic sponsored my Volvo ad and all the ads were before the programme, which allowed you the watch the show without interuption. With supcription prices already hibh enough at sky the least they can do is revert back to that style or if you are paying The extortionate prices which probably most of us on here are, we should have ad free experience on this. This what every other streaming service does and why they are successful

[TimmyBGood]

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@Sk148 wrote:

This what every other streaming service does and why they are successful

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As I've observed repeatedly, 'every other streaming service' is hugely cross-subsidised from a much larger parent operation or operating on a very different business model.  While Sky injecting additional advertising into on-demand content is undoubtedly a legitimate grievance, I'd suggest it's not particularly informative to compare it with the streamers.

[d2h]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@Sk148 wrote:

This what every other streaming service does and why they are successful

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As I've observed repeatedly, 'every other streaming service' is hugely cross-subsidised from a much larger parent operation or operating on a very different business model.  While Sky injecting additional advertising into on-demand content is undoubtedly a legitimate grievance, I'd suggest it's not particularly informative to compare it with the streamers.

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As noted previously, Sky is owned by one of the largest media conglomerates in the world.

The fact is that they continue to take advantage of double income from UK consumers because there is no real push back other than the occasional gripe on a forum. In Germany, they had no choice but to stop the practice because people quite rightly complained in large numbers about paying a subscription fee and still being forced to endure advertising.

It's why they have no advertising in on-demand content and advertising on linear channels is done in between programmes, with the programming itself completely ad-free in the same vein as Sky Cinema. 

Sky UK customers are taken for a ride not only with advertising but also subscription prices. 

[Mark39]

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@d2h wrote:

Sky UK customers are taken for a ride not only with advertising but also subscription prices. 

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Presumably the vast majority of Sky UK customers are content. If not, commonsense dictates they'd find an alternative they thought was more suitable.

[d2h]

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@Mark39 wrote:

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@d2h wrote:

Sky UK customers are taken for a ride not only with advertising but also subscription prices. 

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Presumably the vast majority of Sky UK customers are content. If not, commonsense dictates they'd find an alternative they thought was more suitable.

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In a fair broadcasting landscape where service provider was not the same as content provider, maybe. 

[Mark39]

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@d2h wrote:

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@Mark39 wrote:

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@d2h wrote:

Sky UK customers are taken for a ride not only with advertising but also subscription prices. 

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Presumably the vast majority of Sky UK customers are content. If not, commonsense dictates they'd find an alternative they thought was more suitable.

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In a fair broadcasting landscape where service provider was not the same as content provider, maybe. 

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Not sure that makes the slightest difference. Sky customers pay Sky. If they weren't content with the price, they pay Sky, they wouldn't.

[d2h]

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@Mark39 wrote:

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@d2h wrote:

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@Mark39 wrote:

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@d2h wrote:

Sky UK customers are taken for a ride not only with advertising but also subscription prices. 

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Presumably the vast majority of Sky UK customers are content. If not, commonsense dictates they'd find an alternative they thought was more suitable.

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In a fair broadcasting landscape where service provider was not the same as content provider, maybe. 

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Not sure that makes the slightest difference. Sky customers pay Sky. If they weren't content with the price, they pay Sky, they wouldn't.

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Irrespective of what service you take, you're paying Sky as they have the lions share of the market. BT TV is based upon a Now structure and Virgin TV is more expensive than Sky for Sky-branded channels due to their high wholesale pricing and them wishing to turn some sort of profit of reselling. 

Sky UK is a far more mature service than its European counterparts. UK customers have been conditioned over many years to almost accept Sky UK prices for what they are. German customers flatly rejected the idea of paying for something that the company was further profiting from courtesy of advertising revenue. 

With the increasing market share of streaming services, the writing is not yet on the wall for Sky but big changes to their model are inevitable - including their pricing.