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senseless

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 23, 2008
1,885
257
Pennsylvania, USA
There is a trend to stick 30 second commercials in front of online videos and some cannot be skipped. Although I accept this for television, for some reason it's especially irritating on the net.
 

robanga

macrumors 68000
Aug 25, 2007
1,657
1
Oregon
Nope not here. Pre-rolls and other ads are how sites remain free and performing adequately.

There are certain types of internet ads that i find annoying like having to click through 20 slides of a story just because they want to serve you up more ads.
 

smithrh

macrumors 68030
Feb 28, 2009
2,722
1,730
Absolutely resented. I click the back button and I'm on my merry way.

I do notice it's almost exclusively "old media" outlets that do this, especially, as already noted, TV stations.
 

wordoflife

macrumors 604
Jul 6, 2009
7,564
37
They don't bother me that much unless the same commercial constantly replays.... Like on crackle
 

mrsir2009

macrumors 604
Sep 17, 2009
7,505
156
Melbourne, Australia
If I'm watching good TV shows online, for free, I'm more than happy with watching a 30 second commercial :) I don't find it any more annoying that TV. In fact, probably less annoying, as ad breaks on TV are generally much longer than 30 seconds ;)
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
Thing is if I'm watching non-BBC TV then adverts are slotted in every 15 minutes for 2 minutes. I know when to plan trips to the bathroom or kitchen. Adverts online are disruptive and don't happen when I want them to. I'm not sitting in something that isn't as comfortable as a sofa, waiting patiently to get to something. It's meant to be instant, on-demand content.

I've only ever seen a few unskippable adverts on videos, but when I do I'll just change website or find the content elsewhere without the ad (which takes less than those 30 seconds I'm forced to wait for).

Disclaimer: I generally hate adverts, and when I can I record live TV shows, start watching them 15 minutes after they air and then skip all the adverts (Sony DVR has a skip ad button, woo!).
 
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ejb190

macrumors 65816
Depends on what I'm watching. A 30 second ad to watch a 20 second news clip - forget it. A 10 or 15 second ad would be more tolerable, but my willingness to wait is proportional to my interest in the clip in question.

However, a 30 second ad or two in the middle of a hour TV show. No problem.
 

OneMike

macrumors 603
Oct 19, 2005
5,814
1,795
Not at all. Being a site owner I see it differently maybe, but nothing is free.
 

samiwas

macrumors 68000
Aug 26, 2006
1,598
3,579
Atlanta, GA
They don't bother me that much unless the same commercial constantly replays.... Like on crackle

This. When watching a series of videos on something like CBS's website, you get the same commercial every time. So you sit through the same 30-second ad for every one of the ten four-minute videos you click to.

I hate advertising in almost all forms, but know it's a necessary evil. But there has to be a better way than plopping the same video over and over and over in front of every clip. That actually makes me want the product LESS, not more.

I also agree with the person talking about the slideshow articles. You see "Fifteen Best College Tailgating Scenes!" You click on the "article" only to have a slideshow which consists of a small picture with a one-sentence caption plopped in the middle of 14 blinking ads. And of course, the ads always load before the photo of interest.
 

h1r0ll3r

macrumors 68040
Dec 28, 2009
3,920
19
Maryland
I find it quite irritating however, nowadays, it's becoming the standard. In the CBS iPad app, I can understand the ads in there since it's content from CBS or promos about one of their upcoming shows. That is fine. When I watch YouTube videos and constantly have to see the same ad over and over again without the ability to skip/fast forward? That is frickin annoying. Thank goodness the elections are over. I was sick to death of all those ads.
 

Tomorrow

macrumors 604
Mar 2, 2008
7,160
1,364
Always a day away
I dislike video in general, unless I'm specifically looking for video in the first place.

When I go to a news site, I don't want a video, I want print. I can't skim a video, and I don't have to mute print. Ads just make it that much worse.
 

MacNut

macrumors Core
Jan 4, 2002
22,995
9,973
CT
I dislike video in general, unless I'm specifically looking for video in the first place.

When I go to a news site, I don't want a video, I want print. I can't skim a video, and I don't have to mute print. Ads just make it that much worse.
I agree, I hate when videos start auto playing at full volume. If I want the video I will click it after.

As for preroll, it is annoying when you can't fast forward through them, and then they replay it 5 minutes later.
 

Nabooly

macrumors 6502a
Aug 28, 2007
849
5
Yes I do. The only sites that should have them is Network TV sites. If you're watching a 45 minute episode online and only have 4 minutes of commercials in total that's still much better than watching on TV. YouTube however is getting ridiculous. I remember the days when YouTube first came about and you can go from video to video to video. Now there is an ad every few videos. For a short video you get a 15 to 30 second ad, some you can skip and others you can't.

Fox and CBS have HORRIBLE online players. I've always had trouble with them. Of course the ads play perfectly fine at full HD, but the show will be pixelated and laggy...They should both take note from ABC.

In particular I hate the Lexus commercials on FOX. So dramatic :rolleyes:
 

rei101

macrumors 6502a
Dec 24, 2011
976
1
I hate them, is an abuse.

1. They are way too long, they should be between 10 to 15 seconds at the most.

2. They are not related to the content you are watching, so they are invading my experience.

3. They are not made for the internet, most of them at TV spots. I mean, you do not advertise on TV, News paper and billboards the same thing, internet has it style.
 

AirThis

macrumors 6502a
Mar 6, 2012
518
14
When I see a commercial in a video, I usually just go watch it elsewhere. I only tolerate commercials if in the 15-20 sec. time frame. Otherwise I just zap. They don't bring anything and most often aren't even targeted.
 

Gutwrench

Suspended
Jan 2, 2011
4,603
10,530
I don't like the "limited viewer interruptions" on Hulu Plus.

In other media I'll back out of the ad unless I really, really want to view the video.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,447
43,367
I resent a 30 second commercial in a video particularly if its only a 1 minute or something. I can put up with 10 or 15 second commercials but for a short video I don't want to spend 50% of the viewing time on the commercial. I close it out and move on. That is they lose me as a potential viewer because the commercial takes up too much time
 

velocityg4

macrumors 604
Dec 19, 2004
7,329
4,717
Georgia
It really depends. I hate them when I am watching a show and they kick me out of full screen view so I have to get out of bed to put them back into full screen. Another annoyance is when I start a show and it immediately goes to ad and makes me wait until the ads are complete to go into full screen.

The ones I find unacceptable are the ones that come up before some user generated content as on Youtube. If the user received part of the advertising income that would be fine. Otherwise these sites should stick to banner ads and the like.

The biggest no no is paid content. I pay for HBO and Showtime. I don't care if it is just a ten second commercial advertising one of their other shows. I pay for premium content to be commercial free. Just go directly to the blasted show. No three seconds for your banner or fifteen seconds to advertise your other shows.
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
Those still exist? I've been using AdBlock Plus for about two years now.

The block the ads but you still have the black silence. You know full well they still exist.

I don't think I should be plagued with ads when I pay for hulu+.
 
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