Netflix, once a pioneer of ad-free viewing that offered a break from traditional TV norms, is now contemplating launching free ad-supported versions of its service in markets like Europe and Asia, Bloomberg reported.

The plans to offer a free ad-supported tier, albeit in select markets, suggests that pivot towards monetizing user data, in other words — making users and not the extensive library of award-winning shows a product, might be well in the pipeline.

  • Nougat
    link
    fedilink
    2906 months ago

    I’ve been watching Monk recently, without ads, and it’s very interesting how television shows used to be written and edited for commercials. It’s dead obvious where the commercials used to be, and even that detracts from the overall experience.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      139
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      Some shows we’ve watched spend their time “recapping” after the 'ad breaks", playing same scenes we just saw. Drives me nuts, wastes my time and feels so dated.

      • Nougat
        link
        fedilink
        566 months ago

        Monk doesn’t go that far, and it’s still obvious. “Here’s a joke before commercial!” Pause. Fade back in to a new scene. Pause. “Here’s a little cliffhanger before commercial!” Pause. Fade back in to a new scene. Pause.

      • The Pantser
        link
        fedilink
        English
        216 months ago

        I always thought it would be a nice addition to piracy for a release group to edit a version of shows that cuts the recaps and makes a more unified episode. I would totally only ever download their releases.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        106 months ago

        That was a trope of real tv shows especially , and also a way to fill time with less filmed content i.e cost cutting. Often you’d see many shots 5-7 times throughout the show. Opening montage , before ad tease, after ad recap, thr event itself, end of show montage summary etc. Also drives me nuts. Even back when ads were between. “Yes I know what happened two minutes ago!”. And then there were so many shows you could tell the edit project file was a template and they just replaced the footage. Same exact structure every episode.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        1
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        God I’ve been watching through Bleach and it’s like this. Each 22 minute episode is really only about 12 minutes long with the rest being a 5 minute recap of the previous episode, the intro, credits, and post credit filler.

        Edit: a tangent of this would be watching a sitcom with the laugh track removed. Imagine seeing the actors awkwardly standing there in silence in the middle of their dialog where the laugh track would normally be inserted.

        A funny second tangent is the musicless music videos on YouTube. Definitely worth checking out for a laugh.

    • rand_alpha19
      link
      fedilink
      326 months ago

      Same, been watching Dead Like Me and Xena: Warrior Princess and it’s pretty distracting when it happens.

      • sunzu
        link
        fedilink
        24
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        we were not the customers… we were the product lol…

        yeah it hurts, so let’s stop allowing ads into our lives as much as possible…

        the fact that netflix wants to offer it for free is telling what their core business is turning into…

        • rand_alpha19
          link
          fedilink
          156 months ago

          I’m not streaming it, it’s on my media server, so there are no ads. I don’t pay for any services except Shudder because it’s still cheap and niche.

          • sunzu
            link
            fedilink
            56 months ago

            good, same here but we are a very small minority…

            half the population still pays for cable haha

        • Altima NEO
          link
          fedilink
          English
          66 months ago

          Their core business is lost, IMO. Once they stopped offering movies in favor of their own content and tv shows, thats when it was game over for me.

          • sunzu
            link
            fedilink
            26 months ago

            I agree I stopped with them mid 2010s… their OG content is just low quality engagement slop. I prefer spytube for that.

      • Flying Squid
        link
        fedilink
        English
        2
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        I don’t know if this was true in all markets, but in the Indiana market when we were kids, TNG would play a sort of mini-version of the theme when it went to break and now when a show or movie fades out or it’s an old show and goes to break, I annoy my wife by singing it.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      156 months ago

      I don’t mind those breaks… It feels like going to the next chapter in a book.

      But actual ads, yea, not for a service that costs.

      Though this whole thing is funny - they collect even more user data than they did with cable or broadcast, and now want to show you ads too.

      Can’t wait to finish my media server setup.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        216 months ago

        I don’t mind when it’s an obvious break followed by a new scene. I do mind when the break is in the middle of a scene and they essentially replay the last thirty seconds before continuing the story. It just feels very disjointed and dated.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          16 months ago

          Ah, yea, that seems more like something that wasn’t intended for breaks.

          Definitely disruptive.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      8
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      modern shows frame things differently to account for people watching on tiny phone screens and we might be bothered a few years down the line when we get holodecks or mind control implants

    • Flying Squid
      link
      fedilink
      English
      86 months ago

      There are also shows that based jokes around the fact that they were going to or just came back from a commercial break and now you don’t have those in those shows. And now, I guess, they’ll go back to editing shows for ads.

      What a weird modern landscape we’ve made for ourselves.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        36 months ago

        What a weird modern landscape we’ve made for ourselves.

        Every generation ever. Well, maybe since inventing the wheel

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      1
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      It’s even worse if you’re watching competition shows:
      “Coming up: things you’re going to see in the next 5 minutes.”
      “Welcome back: recap of what you’ve seen in the last 5 minutes.”