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0 pointstopicseed5y ago0 comments

Would you say the same about free TV's ads coming mid-program? Or newspapers you actually buy that still contain ads? How would such a trade be done upfront in your opinion?

In a way, you are the one coming to PLATFORM (site, newspaper, TV program), so don't come back maybe, but don't tell PLATFORM whether they can out a distracting vase at the entrance, or ads on the sidebar, or a distracting ticker at the bottom of the screen.

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4 comments · 2 top-level

deallocator5y ago· 2 in thread

I think the correct analogy would be that there's a corner in the screen where advertisement is playing constantly while whatever show you're watching runs. Obviously the advertisement is going to distract you from time to time, and you won't have your full attention on the show.

laurowyn5y ago

Is forcibly breaking away from the content you want to watch every 10 minutes to show ads not distracting? or the 2 minutes of repeated content from before the break to remind you what was happening before you got distracted by the ads not also distracting? Have you ever watched a show with the ads removed and seen how much of it is actually repeated just because of ad placements?

Just because it's not on screen the entire time doesn't mean it isn't a distraction. TV ad breaks are one of the best methods for producers - guaranteed impressions, broad audiences, official metrics, etc. - whilst also being the worst for consumers. An hour of my time set aside for watching something I enjoy now contains 20 minutes of content I don't care about at all, and cannot skip/bypass if not interested, and the 40 minutes of content is closer to 30 because of repeated content either side of ad breaks.

sokoloff5y ago

That is a huge part of why TiVo was so transformative when it came out.

“We’ll be back in...<skip, skip, skip, skip>...and we’re back.”

Lio5y ago

I recently cancelled a NowTV subscription because of the unskippable trailers at the start of each programme.

For free to air TV I only watch, and it's very occasionally these days, shows that I have recorded to PVR where I skip all the adverts.

I avoid sites with pop-overs for newsletters or animated averts whenever possible.

They're not a "distracting vase at the entrance" they're a "crass man who steps into your path whilst screaming in your face".

I don't know what business models such sites should adopt but I do know that things that invasively take control from me or try to break my concentration, if only for a moment, are things I find deeply unpleasant.

That might say more about me than the advertising industry but there you go.

I'm grateful for sites like lichess and the stance they are taking. It's lovely and quite.

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