If people would just drop their service en masse they would stop doing this shit. Everyone acts like they can be without a streaming service for a month or two so they’ll just complain as they continue to hand them money.
The new Hulu Subscriber agreement just dropped - Don't like ads too bad.
Submitted 2 months ago by GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world to mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/4f55821c-41f2-4644-b69e-e3265cc6d653.png
Comments
JiveTurkey@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Death_Equity@lemmy.world 2 months ago
The reality is there aren’t enough people that care about ads to do that.
You either grew up with TV commercials or you grew up with ads, the conditioning is already there. There is a narrow band of people who don’t watch much or any TV and got on the internet for most content that remember when ads weren’t a thing. They have done studies and reviewed user data to determine how much ads they can play.
They might push users to leave by tickling the ad tolerance while increasing subscription fees, but that is unlikely to happen as the frog is already boiled.
jeena@piefed.jeena.net 2 months ago
I grew up with ads but I still don't tolerate them, I'm practically allergic to ads.
Even back then I would just switch the Chanel when ads would start and then so many times just forget what I was watching and watch something else. And even as a kid I already would preference shows running on the public television in Germany because they didn't have ads, they were played in a different way.
dan@upvote.au 2 months ago
People who grew up with ads were okay with it because the shows and movies were free.
Chocrates@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I cancelled everything but paramount recently. Just cant quit star trek. Until I fix my DNS server at least
DarkDarkHouse@lemmy.sdf.org 2 months ago
Have you ejecting your DNS server’s warp core?
Darorad@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Yarrr, matey!
scarabic@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I’m interested to know if Hulu is under pressure from content owners here. The way this is worded makes it sound like ads are a negotiated part of some of their content licensing deals that they cannot avoid. I’m just curious if that’s in part because of the content owners. Maybe those owners don’t want to give content for a flat fee and instead want a % cut of the business, or something?
gerowen@lemmy.world 2 months ago
If buying isn’t owning, then piracy isn’t theft. ;-)
ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
Streaming is skin to renting not buying
leftytighty@slrpnk.net 2 months ago
you’re ruining the catchy slogan, it’s like you don’t even want this to be Reddit
meowMix2525@lemm.ee 2 months ago
That’s the point of what they’re saying. If you’re only buying a subscription to the content then it’s not theft to get access to that content by other means.
capuccino@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Even with renting we did had ads in between.
RandomVideos@programming.dev 2 months ago
Remove the “if buying isnt owning” part
You are stealing potential profits
starman2112@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
If I’m stealing potential profits, then there wasn’t much potential. My bank account is still near empty
jeena@piefed.jeena.net 2 months ago
If the no ads and ads free version contains adds then pirating is also not immoral anymore.
Grimy@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I don’t consider it immoral regardless tbh
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Arrr matey, t’was never immoral! Subscriptions only be for landlubbers!
Prepare to make sail! Ahoy!
Rooty@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Call it what it is - copyright infringement. Piracy is the act of robbery on the high seas, but we’ve allowed media companies to take a shit in our vocabularies so we can’t call things by their proper names.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Yeah, but pirates are cool.
AlphaOmega@lemmy.world 2 months ago
What words mean?
casmael@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Grog no like ad. Grog want buy thing? Grog make up own mind. Grog not want ad tell grog what buy, what like. Grog know what grog like.
jeena@piefed.jeena.net 2 months ago
Writing on the phone ... sometimes I should proof read it. What i wanted to write was something like
If the "no ads" and "ads free" version contains ads, then pirating the TV shows/movies is not immoral either.
floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 months ago
“circumstances may require”
No, you just want to do that.
frosty@pawb.social 2 months ago
“Our financial circumstances (our shareholders want more money) require…”
peetabix@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Numbers aren’t going up fast enough.
UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
REQUIRE Line go up!
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 months ago
Reminder that whatever your feelings on copyright law are, stealing from Disney is fucking cool
UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
You can’t steal a TV show
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 months ago
Bet
doctortofu@reddthat.com 2 months ago
What a wonderful world we live in - boneless chicken with bones, ad-free streaming with ads… What’s next, Nestle releasing microplastics and cadmium free water (guess what’s in it!)?
joyjoy@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Ad free with ads isn’t new to me. Paramount Plus will sometimes show pre-roll ads. They’re usually ads for other shows on Paramount, but it’s an ad nonetheless.
I could go without the unskippable 5 second branding bumper though.
Manalith@midwest.social 2 months ago
HBO does this too, I’ve been told they get away with it because it’s a trailer not an ad, as though there’s a difference, but mate, I’m already watching Star Trek, you don’t need to suggest I watch Star Trek.
rumba@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
This drink cooler will open and allow you to purchase a cool refreshing micro-plastic free water after a brief ad by nestle. Please stare directly at the screen for 30 seconds to unlock the case.
reddig33@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I’d say “sounds like a lawsuit”. After all, you can’t advertise something as no ads, and then show ads.
But then I remember who is in charge for the next four years and realize they’ll just get away with it.
EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
According to a US judge last year, “boneless chicken wings” does not mean the chicken wings don’t have bones in them.
subtext@lemmy.world 2 months ago
They get away with it with that damned asterisk. So long as you put an asterisk, you could say this comment does not contain English words*
* comment may contain some or all English and / or any other language words
nogooduser@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Another one that shouldn’t be allowed but is are the unlimited* plans where the * indicates that it’s not really unlimited.
spankmonkey@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Anything where the clear statement with such a marker indicating it is not true should be illegal. ‘Up to’ claims should also be illegal unless they are true for 99%+ of users/customers.
Smokeydope@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Look being real they would get away with it no matter which decrepit old man was in office or what their politics are. America is a corporatocracy wearing the skin of democracy. When the IRS audited Microsoft for tax evasion, the IRS got sued and defunded to the point of being forced to back off. The world has changed and our old institutions of power are waning.
fwdbias@lemm.ee 2 months ago
“No ads” don’t mean we don’t show ads…duh
SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
“No, ads!”
AngryRobot@lemmy.world 2 months ago
“No capes!”
Sho@lemmy.world 2 months ago
They seem to be a bit stupid about punctuation. It should read “No, ads!”
LordCrom@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Whoops, shouldn’t have that bar assocation logo here either.
w3dd1e@lemm.ee 2 months ago
I first time I see an ad on my ad-free subscription, I will cancel like I did with Prime Video.
It’s like they want us to become pirates.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Just a numbers game. More people will absorb the costs than cancel their subscriptions. So these streaming services can keep ratcheting until they hit a breaking point. There’s no disincentive to these behaviors, as long as net revenue increases quarter to quarter.
Manalith@midwest.social 2 months ago
Hulu has always had a clause like that. Their ad-free tier has always had a handful of shows that have an ad at the beginning and end, which is why I don’t pay for the ad-free tier and just use NextDNS.
spankmonkey@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Those were initially limited to shows that had contracts in place before hulu existed and was limited to like 3 shows.
starman2112@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Pirate your shows. Not just as a defense against ads, but as a defense against Disney throwing plotlines down the Memory Hole
Merlwyb673@lemm.ee 2 months ago
This is what I do:
- Buy a perpetual license to the content I want (usually on Prime or Microsoft Store)
- Pirate it and load it onto my PLEX server.
This is the only way I can actually have control over the content that I fucking paid for. If that makes me a thief, then so be it.
Of course, this only works for PPV content. I generally just don’t watch content that’s available via streaming subscriptions only. I never paid for cable and I’m not paying for cable 2.0.
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 months ago
By Lemmy Social Contract that You’ve implicitly agreed to, you must now sail the high seas !piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com (blocked by lemmy.world instance btw)
Live Free on the High Seas! 🏴☠️
MrGeekman@lemmy.world 2 months ago
By “high seas”, you’re referring to torrenting, right? Not ripping DVDs and Blu-Rays?
B312@lemmy.world 2 months ago
🏴☠️
cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
To be fair, it most likely refers to live streams, considering more steamers are offering them.
That being said, I cancelled in favour of the high seas and never looked back
SPRUNT@lemmy.world 2 months ago
It’s not just live streams. On-demand of Comcast networks will have ads because it’s fucking Comcast and they are gonna force you to watch them as much as possible. At least you can use the live tv dvr feature to record the things you want and skip commercials then.
Comcast continues providing ample evidence as to why they are one of the most hated companies in the US. They used to be THE most hated company, but the founder of an extremely popular battery company, that also makes cars, recently outed himself as a mask-off nazi, so Comcast is gonna have to step it up to keep their hold on #1. I imagine it’s only a matter of time before all ICE vehicles have vinyl wraps on them that boast “Powered by Comcast”, and
concentration campsdetention centers acting as free (fully tracked and monitored) wifi hotspots.
1rre@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
Product placement is advertising, and as such saying “no ads” while not blurring out product placement would be misselling the service
SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Sometimes it’s important to the plot to let the viewer know about the cool refreshing taste of Pißwasser German lager.
Bronzebeard@lemm.ee 2 months ago
There’s several shows where it was important to production that they had those as they would have been cancelled without it. Community and Chuck were both basically saved by Subway.
theOneTrueSpoon@feddit.uk 2 months ago
Or Cervesa Cristal
mtchristo@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Ads free but with ads ! So words included in a contract don’t carry the same meaning as in the dictionary ?
LanguageIsCool@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Free ads
UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
‘Inflammable’ means flammable? What a country!
Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world 2 months ago
That’s why I pay for hulu+++×+
It’s guaranteed you’ll never see an ad*
*unless Hulu determines it is justified
FooBarrington@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Well, it’s ad-free as long as you consume at least one verification can every 10 minutes
Alwaysnownevernotme@lemmy.world 2 months ago
You must shout “burger king” loud enough that it’s detected on 3 neighbors microphones
eestileib@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
This update brought to you by the letter ARRRR
hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
pennomi@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I assume they mean the live TV offerings, and technically the Hulu splash at the start of every episode is marked as an ad.
But it’s still scummy.
MisterFrog@lemmy.world 2 months ago
This what we would call false advertising in my country.
You can’t write: “NO ADS!*”
“*actually, maybe some ads, as a treat”
That’s just completely negating the headline claim
Carl@lemm.ee 2 months ago
There’s no way that they should be allowed to advertise “no ads” when there are in fact ads. This is consumer protection so basic and obvious that it should be a slam dunk even with the current government… right?
adarza@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
some titles always have had ads on hulu, regardless of a viewer’s plan. they frame it as being ‘required’ by the content provider… which, iirc, is usually them–a disney-owned entity for these titles.
A_Very_Big_Fan@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Jesus fucking christ.
Merlwyb673@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Welp, just canceled that subscription. They can fuck right off.
Rooty@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Looks at UTorrent happily leeching away Looks at camera
solsangraal@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
what the fuck are people actually paying for at this point
UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Private Torrents
Empricorn@feddit.nl 2 months ago
“No ads” and “ad-free” apparently mean whatever they want it to! Man, I’m so tired of these giant, greedy corporations and modern enshittification…
ArchAengelus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 months ago
Yarr, matey.
SeekPie@lemm.ee 2 months ago
I’ve been using RD + Stremio for 2 years now, has worked great (except when RD shut down, then switched to Debrid-Link, which was as easy as RD).