Your Online TV Watching Can Now Be Tracked Across Devices

Now I'm even happier I cancelled Netflix. by manpeach · 2014-10-21 04:19 · Score: 4, Funny

Now I'm even happier I cancelled Netflix.

Re:Now I'm even happier I cancelled Netflix. by BarbaraHudson · 2014-10-21 04:31 · Score: 3, Funny

Nielsen Digital Content Ratings,
Tracking your every video cravings,
ESPN, Sony, Turner, Viacom,
Want to know where, when, and what you've got on,
To try to sell you even more crap,
They say "you're the product" is a bum rap,
They won't sell you just the program you paid for,
Because there's no wh*re like an old wh*re.
Burma Shave

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re:Now I'm even happier I cancelled Netflix. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-21 04:43 · Score: 5, Funny

All my device are belong to me,
A pirate's monthly bill is free,
But the real reason to download, not stream,
Is "In Putinist Russia, you watch TV!"
Burma Shave.
Re:Now I'm even happier I cancelled Netflix. by Austerity+Empowers · 2014-10-21 05:40 · Score: 1

+1 internets
Re:Now I'm even happier I cancelled Netflix. by Anubis+IV · 2014-10-21 06:34 · Score: 1

What does cancelling Netflix have to do with this? They used Netflix as an example, yes, but Netflix doesn't use Flash on any platform (it uses either Silverlight or HTML5), and no one has said anything about them setting third-party cookies either in the browser, on the set-top boxes, or while using gaming consoles. It seems to me that they just used Netflix as an example of the sort of stuff they'd like to handle, but the article had no specifics about Netflix itself actually being involved in any of this.
Re:Now I'm even happier I cancelled Netflix. by Jane+Q.+Public · 2014-10-21 09:41 · Score: 1

Because there's no wh*re like an old wh*re.
I think the vast majority of the votes are in by now, and "Surveillance For The Purpose Of Targeted Ads" was voted just plain evil.
Re:Now I'm even happier I cancelled Netflix. by rtb61 · 2014-10-21 17:12 · Score: 1

To think that whole ads targeted at people is just a great big old scam because it targets what people wanted not what people want ie past tense versus future tense. Ads targeted at content is far more logical however it is far more expensive to provide and means less profits for the advertising provider. Hence the whole PR=B$ scam to convince those buying advertising that targeted ads works and to obscure the reality that is just pisses people off as over time it becomes more noticeably invasive tracking you recent past desires. How truly evil is advertising becoming when it's intent to manipulate your choices against your own interests is becoming so blatant, we now expect lies as the norm in advertising.

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Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen

Ahh but by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-21 04:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

Can they track how many times I tried to purchase the content legally before joining a swarm?

Re:Ahh but by TheCastro1689 · 2014-10-21 05:56 · Score: 1

This should be upvoted.
Re:Ahh but by Jawnn · 2014-10-21 06:25 · Score: 2

I suspect for the vast majority of swarms this will be zero or near zero. Most people who use torrents for piracy generally aren't too keen on paying up for it.
[citation needed]
Re:Ahh but by khellendros1984 · 2014-10-21 07:02 · Score: 4, Informative

I'm paying some god-awful amount of money for satellite every month (my wife handles the exact amount, but it comes out of my paycheck). It includes a DVR. Fairly often, I forget to record something that I could've recorded and watched legally. Streaming on Netflix? No. Hulu? No. The network's site? No. The satellite's On Demand service? No. Hmmm, sounds like it's torrent time, if I want to watch whatever it was. Of course, most of the time it's not worth the effort. I'll wait a few months for a rerun, or a few years for it to show up on Netflix, or something.

--
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Re:Ahh but by ArmoredDragon · 2014-10-21 07:38 · Score: 1

Live for the swarm!
Re:Ahh but by ArmoredDragon · 2014-10-21 07:40 · Score: 1

Sounds like you need sickrage and deluge.
Re:Ahh but by Applehu+Akbar · 2014-10-21 09:19 · Score: 2

I get my content through a nationwide cable provider, but if I miss an episode of something on a cable network and want to catch up using the network's iPad app or website, my provider is never in the tiny list of Verify Your Provider options. So it's torrent time for me too.
Even over-the-air networks are starting to require Verify Your Provider now. What do the people who get the channel OTA do?

All the more reason to get an antenna. by BarbaraHudson · 2014-10-21 04:23 · Score: 3, Informative

For some reason, people haven't cottoned on to the fact that HD content can be received over the air with an old pair of rabbit ears or a more modern $20 antenna.

Sure, it's not 500 channels, but how many of those 500 channels do you watch anyway? And how many of them are just dupes?

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.

Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by jedidiah · 2014-10-21 04:35 · Score: 3, Insightful

Most of those channels are religious and Spanish channels.
Of what's left, Netflix does a much better job of replicating most of their content in a superior format with a better user interface.
Netflix is like the 32 of those rerun dominated channels from your 500 channel cable package.

--
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by nblender · 2014-10-21 04:36 · Score: 1

Generalize much?
I live in an RF hole so even a high gain antenna up on my roof can't pick up any terrestrial channels... In actual fact, I can pick one channel up but the signal strength is low so it freezes and cuts out making it essentially unwatchable, and that's during clear sunny weather.
Fortunately, I get everything I need from the Bittorrent channel.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by JustNiz · 2014-10-21 04:45 · Score: 1

Sorry but I just can't live without my 16 channels of cheezy 90's spanish soap operas and multiple HSN clones :)
Joking aside, OTA kind of is like that at least here in Phoenix. That said cable was no better, which is why I cut it and saved like $60/month, and haven't missed a damn thing.
Thank god for PBS (the one broadcaster apprently not exclusively catering to inbred retards), and mythtv to help filter the rest of the crap.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by jeffmflanagan · 2014-10-21 04:46 · Score: 2

>For some reason, people haven't cottoned on to the fact that HD content can be received over the air with an old pair of rabbit ears or a more modern $20 antenna.

If that's your only source of TV, you're missing all of the good channels. It's pretty rare for the best shows to be on network TV, and even in 2014, movies are still edited for television so the ignorant conservatives won't freak out at seeing or hearing anything related to sex.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by IntrepidDreams · 2014-10-21 04:48 · Score: 1

Yeah, but I have one of those $20 antennas and it sucks. It clips out or freezes every couple of minutes if the signal is stronger. Every 10 seconds if the signal is weak. I'm not in the middle of nowhere. I am in a city, 15 min bike ride from downtown.It's basically impossible to watch.

Add in the fact that it's about 1/3 commercials (with some exceptions, like PBS) and I just can't do it. I literally have not seen a TV commercial since I was at my parents house last Christmas. It also ties me to watching TV on their schedule, not mine. I get out of work at 11 am and for me personally nothing worth watching ever comes on in the middle of the day on those channels available over the air.

I'm not arguing for cable subscription either. Better reception sure, but same problem with commercials and scheduling. DVR fixes that somewhat, sure, but I want to see a program uninterrupted, not fast forwarding through commercials. And WAY overpriced.

Streaming isn't perfect, and it's but it meets what I need done way more then that antenna does.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by enjar · 2014-10-21 04:49 · Score: 4, Informative

I live in the Boston metro area about 25 miles away from the broadcast towers and I get ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, FOX, two PBS and a couple independents. There are a couple Spanish channels and a shopping channel. There are subchannels on each so it ends up being something like 25 channels available. Some of them run reruns and old movies, for sure, but I get first run of anything on broadcast (goes into the TiVo), plus PBS has a lot of decent programming.
We also have Netflix and Amazon Prime but if you do your homework using sites like antennapoint.com and antennaweb.com you can get an antenna that's correctly sized and point it in the right direction, in addition to getting a rough idea of what you should be able to receive from your location.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by poetmatt · 2014-10-21 04:49 · Score: 1

Why pay for TV when you can download the shows you care about?
TV is so terrible at catering to people who only want to pay for what they want to see, so you may as well get it when you want how you want - because they refuse to provide that.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by BarbaraHudson · 2014-10-21 05:08 · Score: 1

Well, seeing as I'm in Canada, the editing restrictions are different. And in Quebec, when I watch the french version of a movie, there's not much at all that gets cut. Certainly the language isn't cleaned up. Nor nudity. I guess it's a french thing.

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by BarbaraHudson · 2014-10-21 05:11 · Score: 1

In my experience, the difference between a bad signal and a great signal is sometimes less than 10' in terms of antenna positioning. That being said, not all antennas are equal. I'm using a $70 outdoor antenna zip-tied to the balcony. It works for me, but YMMV.

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by westlake · 2014-10-21 05:37 · Score: 1

For some reason, people haven't cottoned on to the fact that HD content can be received over the air with an old pair of rabbit ears or a more modern $20 antenna.

In this border town, there were about five or six high-powered VHF stations that could be reliably received with a good roof mounted antenna. For digital, which is all or nothing, $100-$120 for the antenna would be a good starting point, plus labor, if you are not comfortable with high ladder work or pounding in a grounding stake.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve · 2014-10-21 05:56 · Score: 2

Most of those channels are religious and Spanish channels.
This. And I say this as a Christian rather than the typical rabid atheist Slashdot poster, but I have zero interest in watching those channels. Plus, OTA reception where I live is absolutely awful except for religious and Spanish channels and Fox. Oh yes - the CW, which I never watch, comes in very well too. The other major networks (CBS, NBC, ABC) either can't be viewed reliably or not at all where I live. Plenty of people actually know about OTA TV, but it's not a realistic option for everybody.

Of what's left, Netflix does a much better job of replicating most of their content in a superior format with a better user interface.
Netflix is like the 32 of those rerun dominated channels from your 500 channel cable package.
I think Netflix's streaming options are horrifically bad in general, but I seem to hold a minority opinion on that one. All I can say is that they consistently fail to have what I'm interested in watching with very few exceptions.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by BarbaraHudson · 2014-10-21 06:09 · Score: 3, Funny

Amazing, you get the wonderful selection of the totally shit OTA channels.
You can't even watch all that TV,
500 channels, none of it free,
Too many reality TV shows to see,
For those who mistake reality,
With the crap they see on TV,
But with OTA advertisers can't be
Using my TV to spy on ME!
Burma Shave

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by ArcadeMan · 2014-10-21 06:11 · Score: 1

Why the fuck would nudity be edited?

--
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by Dystopian+Rebel · 2014-10-21 06:27 · Score: 1

And I say this as a Christian rather than the typical rabid atheist Slashdot poster
I don't have rabies, you insensitive clod!

--
Rich And Stupid is not so bad as Working For Rich And Stupid.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by Jawnn · 2014-10-21 06:29 · Score: 1

Why pay for TV when you can download the shows you care about?
Really? And where can I do this? Most of the "shows that I care about" are completely unavailable via the medium you're suggesting.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by jedidiah · 2014-10-21 06:31 · Score: 1

Everything is relative.
Netflix compares poorly to a $200 cable package.
It compares very well to raw broadcast TV or even broadcast TV filtered through a Tivo.
Plus antenna reception is a very tricky thing. It's often far from perfect both in terms of the channels you can get and how well you can get them. It's very much a YMMV proposition and is a very fussy sort of thing. Most people don't want to mess with that crap. That's why they have cable.

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A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by BarbaraHudson · 2014-10-21 06:38 · Score: 2

And I say this as a Christian rather than the typical rabid atheist Slashdot poster
I don't have rabies, you insensitive clod!
Don't h8te on rabies or I'll bite you, you insensitive clod!
Q. What is the first thing to do if you get bitten by an animal with rabies?
A. Get a pen and paper.
Q. Why?
A. To make a list of people who deserve to get bit.
Q. How will that help?
A. It won't but it will certainly make you feel better :-)
And the inevitable s/rabies/ebola/g;

--
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by WillAffleckUW · 2014-10-21 07:09 · Score: 1

Most of those channels are religious and Spanish channels.
In case you haven't noticed, there are a lot more Hispanic people than non-Hispanic people in many US states.
And people like me who like watching soccer games and Hispanic music videos.

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-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by Lilith's+Heart-shape · 2014-10-21 07:57 · Score: 1

Netflix compares poorly to a $200 cable package.
Maybe, but it's good enough for me because I don't give a fuck about sports. I can spend another fifteen bucks to rent console games from GameFly, and save the rest for hookers and blow. Who needs cable TV when the internet has better porn for free?

--
I write sci-fi for metalheads
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by Lilith's+Heart-shape · 2014-10-21 07:59 · Score: 1

Because despite their prudery, the Puritans who landed in Massachusetts bred so prolifically that they irredeemably tainted American culture.

--
I write sci-fi for metalheads
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by jedidiah · 2014-10-21 08:15 · Score: 1

> Maybe, but it's good enough for me because I don't give a fuck about sports.
+...or new content.
Netflix is great as a "rerun channel". It's like a juiced up version of MeTV or AntennaTV on steroids.
Beyond that, it kind of sucks and there's really no point in denying it. Netflix by itself is no cable substitute. There's no point in pretending Netflix is something it's not. There's no point in trying to give people the wrong idea.
Fortunately the streaming landscape is not merely limited to Netflix.
Although more complete options will require you to be not a complete cheapskate.

--
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by jedidiah · 2014-10-21 08:21 · Score: 1

PVRs are great for caching live events. Let it start the recording and leave it be for 15 or so minutes so that you've got enough "buffer" so that you won't catch up to those ads.
This approach is also good for sporting events where there might be a lot of nonsense and commentary that you don't necessarily want to see.
If it's a less interesting sport like soccer or most of what's on the Olympics, you can fast forward to the interesting parts.
Plus you don't have to worry about "starting on time". It's actually better if you don't.

--
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by Lilith's+Heart-shape · 2014-10-21 08:24 · Score: 1

New content isn't necessary good content, and old content isn't necessarily bad content. Also, "new" is an overloaded adjective. Do you mean new as in recent, or new as in shit you haven't seen before?

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I write sci-fi for metalheads
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by antdude · 2014-10-21 09:26 · Score: 1

I wished I could do OTA again in my new place, but the transmitters are blocked by small mountains/giant hills and trees. :(

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Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by JohnFen · 2014-10-22 03:33 · Score: 1

Netflix compares poorly to a $200 cable package.
Personally, Netflix not only compares very well to a $200 cable package, it is superior to a $200 cable package. Cable offers nothing of interest to me that I can't get from Netflix, but Netflix is a much better viewing experience.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by JohnFen · 2014-10-22 03:43 · Score: 1

Beyond that, it kind of sucks and there's really no point in denying it. Netflix by itself is no cable substitute. There's no point in pretending Netflix is something it's not.
I'm not pretending. Netflix by itself completely replaces cable to my satisfaction. Admittedly, that's a pretty low bar because cable sucks completely. Sure, Netflix and the like doesn't satisfy everyone's needs (what does?), but there's no need to be dismissive of people for whom it works or accuse them of being deceptive or misguided.
Re:All the more reason to get an antenna. by JohnFen · 2014-10-22 03:44 · Score: 1

Yes, this. And the switchover to digital broadcasting means that there are more people than ever who simply can't receive OTA broadcasts.

Fuck analytics ... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-21 04:26 · Score: 2, Interesting

I'm increasingly of the opinion that anybody who works for an analytics agency or a spy agency has more less forfeited their right to privacy.

So start publishing their personal information on the internet, let these assholes know how it feels.

Assholes in marketing don't deserve any more privacy than they are willing to give us.

There's no way they'll either competently anonymize data, and no way they won't exploit the stuff which hasn't been cleaned up.

So the address of your kids school seems like a fair trade. And where your wife works. And your tax return. And your license plate.

Fuck you. Go die.

Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ads by sexconker · 2014-10-21 04:28 · Score: 3, Insightful

If I could delete 3 things from all existence they would be:

3: Professional sports
2: Fatties
1: Advertising

The amount of time and money the world wastes on these 3 useless things is extraordinary.

Sounding another death knell for cable companies by enjar · 2014-10-21 04:32 · Score: 4, Insightful

Up till now, the TV Nielsens have been ruling the roost when it comes to how many people are watching something. Now with tracking added that includes online content on something of an equal basis, the real TV customers (the people who pay for ads) will know what the product (the viewers being shown advertising) is actually doing. This being Slashdot, people are no doubt running to the store to pay for a roll of tinfoil with a Bitcoin, but it's really not the Orwellian nightmare that you might expect. Imagine if there had been this richness of data for some shows like Firefly that were floundering in the TV ratings, yet were developing a following based on online views -- the audience was following the new episodes, but lagging the broadcast by a few months as they caught up.

I expect that many shows which got mishandled on broadcast yet had some redeeming value and a loyal (young, target demographic market) who aren't showing up on TV lists (because they don't own one) are going to now be more represented -- and that's going to lead to better programming for the people who like that. Perhaps the "sit in front of the TV" market will be eclipsed by the "sit in front of the tablet/smartphone" market as that becomes the way people consume television.

It might also clearly show what many of the cable providers keep denying but don't want to admit -- there's a tremendous market for (effectively) a la carte television that's being consumed right now. They can keep denying it, but it's going to be very hard for them to have leverage in deals with (especially) sports leagues when the Nielsen numbers show that it would be a great business decision to provide an app rather than going through cable to reach a larger audience who is young, hip and spends money.

Terminology by JustNiz · 2014-10-21 04:32 · Score: 4, Insightful

As a cable-cutter who primarily gets video as OTA HDTV I for one was confused (for a second) by their use of the term "Digital Video".

What might have been better would be to call it "streaming video" or some such, to better indicate that the article is actually web-specific only.

Also, the "digital" part is pretty much redundant these days anyway, as there is no analog TV anymore (except maybe a few holdouts on cable), so pretty much all video is now digital. Saying "digital video" has basically become analogous to saying "electric TV".

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-21 04:33 · Score: 1

The information learned will help broadcasters decide what to charge advertisers, and deliver targeted ads to viewers.

I've been streaming Netflix for years, and I've never seen an ad on it. What is this talking about?

Across Devices? by Sir_Eptishous · 2014-10-21 04:39 · Score: 1

for example if you begin watching a show on Netflix on your laptop, then switch to a Roku set-top box to finish it

I don't get this.
When I'm watching something I enjoy, either via OTA HD or Netflix, the last thing I'm going to do is "quick! switch to another device!"

Watching a film, documentary or "episode" is much more enjoyable watched in one sitting. If I have to switch to another device I will watch at a later time when my attention isn't split.

This splitting of attention ruins the experience.

--
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range

Re:Across Devices? by jedidiah · 2014-10-21 04:47 · Score: 1

Life tends to interrupt entertainment.
One of the great advantages of current video technology is the fact that you aren't shackled to the idiots lantern. You can watch stuff whenever you want, rather than when they say it will be on. You can watch as much or as little as you want in one sitting depending on things that aren't TV.
A "networked" playback device is especially useful for serialized content and modern households that have more than one playback device.
The "gap" could be one minute or 6 months and it could be the 2nd half of that new movie or the next episode from that classic series from 40 years ago.

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A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Re:Across Devices? by meta-monkey · 2014-10-21 04:51 · Score: 1

I have an Xbox360 in my living room that I use for Netflix/Hulu/Plex (and video games). In my bedroom I have an Xbox One and an AppleTV. Sometimes I'll start watching on the 360 in the living room and then decide to finish watching in the bedroom on one of the other devices.

--
We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
Re:Across Devices? by cayenne8 · 2014-10-21 05:48 · Score: 1

I don't get this.
When I'm watching something I enjoy, either via OTA HD or Netflix, the last thing I'm going to do is "quick! switch to another device!"
Watching a film, documentary or "episode" is much more enjoyable watched in one sitting. If I have to switch to another device I will watch at a later time when my attention isn't split.

Hm....you never watch a movie and have to go to the can?
:)

--
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Re:Across Devices? by Lilith's+Heart-shape · 2014-10-21 08:06 · Score: 1

Maybe he presses the pause button instead of changing devices?

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I write sci-fi for metalheads
Re:Across Devices? by jedidiah · 2014-10-21 08:09 · Score: 1

> Hm....you never watch a movie and have to go to the can?
There is a loo in my home theater. If I leave the door open, I can still see the screen.

--
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.

Re:Poor quality of ratings data by enjar · 2014-10-21 04:40 · Score: 1

TiVo and Nielsen have had a relationship for some time, beginning around 2004. It's an opt-in system, so you would have been contacted by TiVo/Nielsen to allow monitoring of your recording and watching habits. Before the DVR, Nielsen used surveys and electronic systems from a segment of the population to generate data.

http://adage.com/article/digit...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N...

Not me by Rick+Zeman · 2014-10-21 04:40 · Score: 2

Adobe's Analytics service, gained through its acquisition of Omniture, let it track how consumers view digital media across devices through digital cookies and mobile advertising IDs.

Ghostery, I love you.

Re:Poor quality of ratings data by jedidiah · 2014-10-21 04:41 · Score: 1

It's pretty easy to separate what you record, from what you actually watch, versus what gets shown/recorded while your PVR lingers in "live tv" mode.

Each of those situations is different parts of the code path in the PVR's software that can each be logged differently.

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A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.

Yay, targeted advertising! by pushing-robot · 2014-10-21 04:42 · Score: 2

Now when I watch a thing, I'll get ads telling me to watch the thing I watched.

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How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?

Re:Yay, targeted advertising! by SeaFox · 2014-10-21 13:46 · Score: 1

Yo Dawg!
We head you like TV!
So we're watching what you watch, and putting targeted ads in your selected programs.
So now you can be told to watch what you're watching, while you're watching it.
We've seen what you've seen and will see to it you see it again. See?

Re:Sounding another death knell for cable companie by Jason+Levine · 2014-10-21 04:44 · Score: 1

Never underestimate the powers of a manager who comes in and decides that the numbers should show X and that any numbers that don't need to be skewed until they do.

Some of their past tactics (such as the one taken against Futurama of moving the timeslot and then preempting the program until viewership numbers dropped) won't work in the new order of on-demand video, but they could take other actions. They could just not promote the show/new episodes. They could also delay releasing the new episodes until people lose interest.

I don't mind analytics in general, but don't assume that they will help rescue your favorite show by proving that there is a big following. Managers will just slice and dice the analytics until it "proves" that the show doesn't have a big enough viewership to continue.

--
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by CastrTroy · 2014-10-21 04:53 · Score: 3, Insightful

My thoughts exactly. It's obvious that Netflix can track you across devices because you are signed into your account and profile. They've been able to do this since they started streaming videos. I don't see how this has anything to do with advertisements though, as Netflix is a pay service and does not show any ads.

--

Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.

Re:Another advantage of using bittorrent... by Doitroygsbre · 2014-10-21 05:08 · Score: 2

No, But they are watching the swarm to see how popular different torrents are. They may not know that AC#48196463 is interested in Doom 3, but they will know how many people are willing to download it. Its a different metric, but is still very valuable.

And don't worry, if bit torrent usage isn't tracked and correlated with other media consumption now, it will be soon.

--
There in no religion higher than truth.

TPB isn't just cheaper. by serviscope_minor · 2014-10-21 05:10 · Score: 5, Interesting

TPB isn't just cheaper than other services it's better. In fact that's the main thing. Advantages of TPB:

* No Ads during the show (though I have to concede that impossibly proportioned women do appear to want to date my testicles).
* Huge library including some obscure stuff you can't buy.
* Great search.
* All shows in one place.
* No DRM: watch on any device you like, laptop, phone, random set top box.
* No streaming bullshit. Works online or off, on a flakey connection or a good one.
* Variety of different resolutions and qualities allowing you to trade off quality and download speed.
* Great clients for managing multiple downloads.
* Really great options for viewing the media. MPlayer I love you.
* Timely: the shows are usually online very fast. No waiting years for it to arrive legally. Yes that still happens.
* No ausive region coding (see no DRM). Yes I own those discs legally. No I'm not going to pay to buy another DVD player just to satisfy some abusive jerkweeds who think I'm some sort of crook for having lived abroad.
* No net connection required to watch the shows once acquired.

And now:

* Doesn't creepily track you.

It's amazing how much better a service you get while sailing the seven seas and looting the merchentmen, arr, matey.

--
SJW n. One who posts facts.

Re:TPB isn't just cheaper. by Lumpy · 2014-10-21 07:36 · Score: 1

TPB? No thanks.
eztv.it is where it's at. TPB is crap for searching and subscribing to specific shows and having a nice RSS feed filtered already for you.

--
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Re:TPB isn't just cheaper. by steelfood · 2014-10-21 09:21 · Score: 1

* Doesn't creepily track you.
You're more easily tracked via BitTorrent than any other medium.
Well, it's technically tracking downloads and uploads, not necessarily viewing behavior, so maybe that's an advantage.

--
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

Re:Sounding another death knell for cable companie by tlhIngan · 2014-10-21 05:15 · Score: 5, Informative

I don't mind analytics in general, but don't assume that they will help rescue your favorite show by proving that there is a big following. Managers will just slice and dice the analytics until it "proves" that the show doesn't have a big enough viewership to continue.

Even worse, it doesn't matter if 10,000,000 watch a show.

The Neilson numbers come in several forms. The ones you see daily are called "Live and Same Day" (L+SD), which counts views that watched the show live and within 24 hours of airing. Other numbers you can easily find are Live+3 days (L+3) and Live+7 (L+7).

But none of those numbers are actually used by anyone. That's why Neilson gives them out for free. No one's paying for that information, nor will they ever. And that's not where they make their money.

The real money is in the C3 number, or if you're CBS, you convinced advertisers to take C7 numbers. What are these? They're commercial ratings (for programming watched live to 3 days later). Basically you take the L3/L7 numbers, strip out the numbers while the program is showing, and you're left with just the numbers related to the advertising. And that's the number that makes Neilson money and the number stations pay money for. And yes, you skip ads on your DVR, which pull down those C3 numbers because it lowers the viewers for the advertising.

And that's because the largest source of income is advertising. Sure they get some through cable fees and Hulu and iTunes/Amazon/DVD etc. sales, but that's a tiny fraction of advertising.

CBS managed this season to convince advertisers to pay the C7 rate rather than C3, because well, it more accurately reflects today's lifestyle of people who record a show and watch it later in the week.

And that's all that matters. It doesn't matter if you can find 100,000,000 people to watch a show - if it's not reflected in those 100,000,000 people watching the ads.

It also brings up cord cutters who prefer to download their TV programming from torrents and such - as far as the industry is concerned, they don't care because those people don't add to advertising ratings.

Even under the new system - the new system just means that Neilson can more accurately measure their ratings, but if you're not watching the ads, it means jack squat to the producers.

So that super popular show people pirate? Guess what, the TV industry really doesn't care - you never were a "customer" and it doesn't matter if only 1M people watched it on TV while 100M people watched it off torrents - if those 1M people can't justify the ad rates and production costs, it's getting canned. The 100M other people? Too f'in bad - if it was that good, they should've watched it with ads.

If you ever wondered why worrying over TV piracy has subsided, that's one reason (who cares about pirates - they obviously don't care about their TV show), the other is they've found legal streaming to be even better. Because if they put a stream online to watch programming, they can make it such that you can't skip ads, and that's actually worth something - enough to pay for the effort of putting an online stream up. So you beat both DVR owners and appear as a hero for making a legal source available.

Bonus material - 2014-2015 TV season ad rates (30 second spot). This is what brings in the money.
http://variety.com/2014/tv/new...

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-21 05:36 · Score: 2

You. Just. Wait.

Re:Sounding another death knell for cable companie by Austerity+Empowers · 2014-10-21 05:46 · Score: 1

Ironically isn't CBS the one that just launched the streaming service that you pay for, and still shows you ads?

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by westlake · 2014-10-21 05:54 · Score: 1

If I could delete 3 things from all existence they would be: blah, blah, blah.

Let me introduce you to the words "gainful employment." There are very few ways of earning a living that do not require advertising your product or service.

Re:Sounding another death knell for cable companie by nabsltd · 2014-10-21 05:54 · Score: 1

if you're not watching the ads, it means jack squat to the producers.

The producers of the show only care tiny bit about advertising, as they get their pay up front (a TV channel/network pays them to produce the content) and from various forms of direct sales (DVD, Hulu, Amazon, etc.). Because much of the value of a show has moved from the first-run airing, networks now partner with producers to produce the show, so that the network also gets a cut of the direct sales.

So, producers care a little bit about ratings and advertising, because if nobody is watching their show, they won't get any more money to make it, but as long as enough people watch in some form that puts money in the producer's pocket, the show will still get made.

TV without ads is expensive by sjbe · 2014-10-21 06:14 · Score: 1

According to Nielsen the average person watches: 4 hours and 35 minutes of TV a day.

I *might* watch that much in a week. There just isn't that much worth watching most of the time. I guess I'm an outlier. I cannot fathom why anyone would give a crap about the latest Kardashian family hijinks.

What's really sad is people don't insist on ad free TV, or a 3rd party candidate...

That costs money. Watching advertising just costs time. If you have a lot of money you can trade money for time. If you don't have a lot of money you trade time for money. Simple fact is that most people either can not and/or will not pay what TV would cost if it were not ad supported. Furthermore it's unlikely to ever really be offered because there is too much money to be made with advertising.

People don't support third party candidates because the deck has been stacked by the two major parties to make it almost impossible for any third party candidate to get elected.

Re:TV without ads is expensive by sinij · 2014-10-21 06:43 · Score: 1

I would gladly trade money for time, but often in case of TV this is simply not offered in a timely manner.

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by Ravaldy · 2014-10-21 06:25 · Score: 1

I have 3 more for you:
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Apple, Microsoft Haters

FYI. Ads pay for this site to remain available to us.

Re:Sounding another death knell for cable companie by sinij · 2014-10-21 06:32 · Score: 1

I realize that it is all about advertising, but where do these outrageous cable fees go? If it is all about advertising, why do cable providers charge substantial fees for channel packages? Clearly, you can show more adds if you let everyone with a cable watch it.

So it must be not that simple.

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by Sez+Zero · 2014-10-21 06:43 · Score: 1

If I could delete 3 things from all existence they would be:

How about Flash? Isn't that how we ended up with "analytics provider Adobe"?

Welcome to 1984 by WillAffleckUW · 2014-10-21 07:03 · Score: 1

I like most people, prefer my constitutionally guaranteed right to Privacy, and Freedom, to Slavery.

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-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by Lilith's+Heart-shape · 2014-10-21 08:01 · Score: 1

2: Fatties

If you want me to lose weight, give me a steady supply of uppers. Otherwise, you're part of the problem and not the solution and you can fuck off.

--

I write sci-fi for metalheads

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by Lilith's+Heart-shape · 2014-10-21 08:02 · Score: 1

I play video games, and I also fucking loathe "gamers".

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I write sci-fi for metalheads

Re:Sounding another death knell for cable companie by Lilith's+Heart-shape · 2014-10-21 08:05 · Score: 1

I realize that it is all about advertising, but where do these outrageous cable fees go?

1. Disney 2. ESPN 3. Cuntcast

--

I write sci-fi for metalheads

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by sexconker · 2014-10-21 08:27 · Score: 1

I play video games, and I also fucking loathe "gamers".

Exactly this.

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by sexconker · 2014-10-21 08:28 · Score: 1

If I could delete 3 things from all existence they would be:

How about Flash? Isn't that how we ended up with "analytics provider Adobe"?

No, you can thank PDFs and Adobe Reader for that.
Flash is at least a useful tool.

Re:Sounding another death knell for cable companie by antdude · 2014-10-21 09:49 · Score: 1

I am curious how many people watch the commercials. Is there a Nielsen (not Neilson!) for those?

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Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).

Haiku. by mjwx · 2014-10-21 14:36 · Score: 1

I download TV
So no-one will track me
Burma Shave is old

--
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by JohnFen · 2014-10-22 03:47 · Score: 1

Meh. When Netflix starts showing ads, I'll just stop using it. No problem.

Re:Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads Ads And More Ads Ads Ads Ad by JohnFen · 2014-10-22 03:50 · Score: 1

From my point of view, there are two problems. The biggest one isn't the ads themselves, but the tracking that is used with them. That needs to die a fast, painful death. The other problem, which is about the ads themselves, is that advertising is ubiquitous. When you can't even take a piss in many public restrooms without having to look at another damned ad, it's no mystery why people want to see advertising itself die.

Re:Sounding another death knell for cable companie by JohnFen · 2014-10-22 03:54 · Score: 1

people are no doubt running to the store to pay for a roll of tinfoil with a Bitcoin, but it's really not the Orwellian nightmare that you might expect.

Wait a second. You can't call people who object to tracking paranoid because the tracking is provably being done. Why do you think people who object to being spied on are somehow nutty for objecting to it?

Try tracking me by vandamme · 2014-10-22 06:40 · Score: 1

...with my CRT TV and converter box, plugged into an antenna.

Twice this year we've done the Nielsen week-long rating. Our TV viewing comprised 15 minutes of the noon news, and an hour of "Mr. Selfridge", "Downton Abbey" or "Call the Midwife" on PBS. I think they sent it to us again to see if we were lying. Nope. We don't have cable; we pay to have trash hauled out, so why pay to have it delivered?

"57 channels and Nuthin On."

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