Let’s talk about BBC

[AndyRM]

If you want to know what TV would look like without the BBC then watch TV in the US.
It is far, far worse. Even if some of the programming is superior the commercial breaks make you want to switch off.

Turning a 35 minute show into an hour long one is some kind of warped art form.

 

[C R]

Nationwide who paid an absolute ton of money to their Chief Exec after they took over Virgin Money and pretended they weren't going to close branches and sack folk?

Aye, they're the good guys.

I do agree though, they were. But they've changed.

And rig the agm vote so that you can't meaningfully tell them off.

 

[icowden]

If you want to know what TV would look like without the BBC then watch TV in the US.
It is far, far worse. Even if some of the programming is superior the commercial breaks make you want to switch off.

I've said it before, but this should be compulsory education:


Oh - and Mitch needs to write an update...

 

[Pross]

Turning a 35 minute show into an hour long one is some kind of warped art form.

They create even more advertising time by doing the final credits so fast they can’t be read.

 

[Mike_P]

The current solution to commercial channels is to PVR programmes and to play back with minute skip (normally 4x or 5x needed) the commercial breaks.

 

[Pross]

The current solution to commercial channels is to PVR programmes and to play back with minute skip (normally 4x or 5x needed) the commercial breaks.

But as we move more and more to streaming they have prevented that so we now have subscription services that initially charged for an ad free service now moving to ads in addition to the subscription and a higher subscription for no ads or even where you can watch the first few episodes for free but then have to pay for the rest. That's the direction of travel.

 

[Pblakeney]

The current solution to commercial channels is to PVR programmes and to play back with minute skip (normally 4x or 5x needed) the commercial breaks.

We still have a PVR.
Think it was last used in 2018 or thereabouts. Mostly as we no longer watch scheduled TV.

 

[Beebo]

But as we move more and more to streaming they have prevented that so we now have subscription services that initially charged for an ad free service now moving to ads in addition to the subscription and a higher subscription for no ads or even where you can watch the first few episodes for free but then have to pay for the rest. That's the direction of travel.

Channel 4 puts 6 mins of unskippable ads at the start of programmes. Then again at 15 min intervals.
It makes their streaming service unwatchable. Especially if you only want to see the last 15 minutes of a programme, as you have to sit through a solid 10 mins of advertising.

 

[icowden]

Channel 4 puts 6 mins of unskippable ads at the start of programmes. Then again at 15 min intervals.
It makes their streaming service unwatchable. Especially if you only want to see the last 15 minutes of a programme, as you have to sit through a solid 10 mins of advertising.

Not if you watch a bit longer after the event.

 

[Pblakeney]

Misleading headline - Meghan will not appear at public events during Harry UK trip

Mostly because she will not be in the country.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Channel 4 puts 6 mins of unskippable ads at the start of programmes. Then again at 15 min intervals.
It makes their streaming service unwatchable. Especially if you only want to see the last 15 minutes of a programme, as you have to sit through a solid 10 mins of advertising.

I took up a half price offer from C4 for ad free programs.
I watched a 90 minute show last night. It had 6 unavoidable ad breaks for upcoming programs. They may have been a lot shorter, but their ad free claim is bogus.
I won’t be renewing.

 

[Pblakeney]

I took up a half price offer from C4 for ad free programs.
I watched a 90 minute show last night. It had 6 unavoidable ad breaks for upcoming programs. They may have been a lot shorter, but their ad free claim is bogus.
I won’t be renewing.

My exact experience. It is why I cancelled my renewal and have stopped using it.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I reckon the TV levy will probably come in; there will be backlash for it I'm sure, but after a while people will probably forget about it. Today's youngsters when they are of an age, will probably not even realise it's there or what it's for. Having thought about it overnight, I don't mind paying for it, I just think £15/month is a little steep. But as a British institution, a bit like the NHS, it should be thought of as something we all pay for even if it benefits others more than it does us.

I do hope though, that it doesn't turn into a vanity project with no substance. We need more apprenticeships and degrees in " Sir David Attenborough studies". Say what you want, but the BBC has produced, exposed and given platform to quite a few greats over the years and I'd hate to see that taper off.

 

[icowden]

I watched a 90 minute show last night. It had 6 unavoidable ad breaks for upcoming programs. They may have been a lot shorter, but their ad free claim is bogus.
I won’t be renewing.

They don't count trailers as adverts.

 

[Dorset Boy]

They don't count trailers as adverts.

Same way as the BBC don't count promoting their shows as adverts