How can we send a stern warning to Apple re: iTunes stuff?

[Turnpike]

I pay $2.99 per TV episode (and many are only 25 minutes long!) more than I want to admit, even hiding my "habit" from family and friends.

In my opinion, my time and the comfort (I love HD) I get out of it is worth it to me, it's a guilty pleasure since I don't spend money on drinking, bars/clubs, smoking, late model cars, etc... this is the thing that I really enjoy, so I spend my $ in the iTunes store.

The HD and the lack of commercials is, let's face it, what I'm paying for. And REEEALLY paying, too. Especially when you consider the value/cost of a 1/2hr sitcom show that runs only 23 minutes without commercials is $2.99, and that's show after show after show.

So it made me panic a few months ago when while watching an episode of The Soup I got little promos of other E! shows tossed in there. I got all "oh NO YOU DI-INT!" but then quickly forgot about it since I didnt see anything anywhere else for a while, but now with the new episodes of New Girl (one of those $3-per-20-minute shows), I keep getting promos of other Fox shows as the show is starting. I know they aren't selling Tide, but a commercial is a commercial, even if it's for another show or a preview for a movie. It's one thing if YouTube wants to do it, but iTunes is not only a subscription service, it's a VERY HIGHLY PRICED subscription service! I pay that insane price to AVOID commercials, promos, crawl bars, and so on....

This is how it starts- first it's subscription, then it's subscription-with-promos, then it's subscription-AND-commercials! (notice that even Hulu shows commercials with the paid Hulu Plus subscription).

Where can I write and complain where it would make some difference? Any suggestions? Has anyone else noticed this and got miffed a bit too...?

 

[CylonGlitch]

It's not Apple, it's the studios, they are 100% in control of the content.

To me, the best way to make your voice heard. Is to NOT BUY IT! If you want, email the studio and tell them that you will never buy another episode of ANY show they put out of they continue this crap. Most likely will fall on deaf ears, but if everyone joins the bandwagon they will have to listen.

We need a website to focus on this problem. Lists of the studios that do this, contact information, etc..

Make it so number one.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

I am so tired of the "I pay for content so I shouldn't have to watch commercials" argument which, most of the time, comes from people (not necessarily the OP) with cable or satellite dishes.

 

[MattG]

Agreed, the ads are annoying.

I am so tired of the "I pay for content so I shouldn't have to watch commercials" argument which, most of the time, comes from people (not necessarily the OP) with cable or satellite dishes.

These aren't "commercials." It's not product placement and it's not another company paying E! (or whoever) for a commercial spot. This is the same company who produced the show you bought, advertising their other shows. He's completely right; it's annoying and unnecessary. "Hey, you just paid $40 for a season of 'Show XYZ', let me annoy you with ads for our other shows that you're going to see EVERY SINGLE TIME you watch this show you paid for."

I bought a season of American Dad (Fox) a while back, and at the end of every episode, there's about 2 minutes of promos for The Simpsons and other shows that aren't even valid any more, stuff that's already aired.

 

[Turnpike]

I am so tired of the "I pay for content so I shouldn't have to watch commercials" argument which, most of the time, comes from people (not necessarily the OP) with cable or satellite dishes.

The whole point for paying is TO AVOID COMMERCIALS.

With Hulu Plus you pay a light subscription fee, and you still get some commercials, which HALF makes sense...

But with iTunes, you pay PREMIUM PREMIUM PRICE. You buy PREMIUM Apple products, to watch a PREMIUM content recording and pay a PREMIUM price for that too, so it's only reasonable to expect it to be PURE content.

Like say the Google Tablet, or Amazon Kindle, whichever (I know nothing about either of those) but I saw somewhere they were thinking of selling a cheaper version but it would have ads on it. FINE. If you pay less, then there's a difference. What if you just paid $2,500 for a Retina MBP and it came with ads in the operating system? Isn't there a point where we DESERVE to get pure content? My archived season of New Girl (so far) will forever have these promos, which are soon to be irrelevant, at the beginning of every show, even though I paid more than the DVD version will ever cost. Not fair.

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It's not Apple, it's the studios, they are 100% in control of the content.

Not so. Just like the Apps, Apple can say yes or no to something like this, EASILY.

 

[Cougarcat]

Not so. Just like the Apps, Apple can say yes or no to something like this, EASILY.

Networks have far more leverage than a developer. Apple recently said "no" to watermarks, resulting in Fox content getting pulled briefly. (and back in 2007 nbc content got pulled for a time.) I don't use iTunes personally, but I've heard now there's a "brought to you by fox" message at the beginning, and now this. Obviously Apple was forced to compromise.

 

[Shrink]

How can we send a stern warning to Apple re: iTunes stuff?

Oh, my...if you send a "stern" warning there will be much rending of clothing and gnashing of teeth.

How about a "firm" warning, or a "stringent, or even an "austere" warning.

I mean...have a heart!!

 

[Macky-Mac]

...Where can I write and complain where it would make some difference? Any suggestions? ...?

....To me, the best way to make your voice heard. Is to NOT BUY IT! ....

that's your best bet, but it's probably not going to help

How can we send a stern warning to Apple re: iTunes stuff?

Oh, my...if you send a "stern" warning there will be much rending of clothing and gnashing of teeth.

How about a "firm" warning, or a "stringent, or even an "austere" warning.

I mean...have a heart!!

no no, a "stern" warning is best in this case.....even though it will be difficult for those on the receiving end

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

These aren't "commercials."

We must have different definitions of commercial, then. Apple's dictionary app defines it as "a television or radio advertisement" and describes advertisement as "a notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event." (By the way, the OP calls exactly what you're describing "commercials," too.)

The whole point for paying is TO AVOID COMMERCIALS.

With Hulu Plus you pay a light subscription fee, and you still get some commercials, which HALF makes sense...

But with iTunes, you pay PREMIUM PREMIUM PRICE. You buy PREMIUM Apple products, to watch a PREMIUM content recording and pay a PREMIUM price for that too, so it's only reasonable to expect it to be PURE content.

I'd argue that on cable and satellite, one is paying a premium, premium price as well. Some cable packages are over $100 a month...at least the last time I checked, they were. Where is the outrage (again, not necessarily from you) about the commercials on there? Surely if I'm paying $100 a month, I should be able to watch things without commercials!

The truth is, what we're paying for is access to content. One pays for cable because there are shows there you can't find on OTA broadcasts. One pays for Netflix because they provide movies and TV which you'd otherwise not have access to.

We decide, individually, whether what they are providing is worth it or not. Is 300 channels with commercials worth $100 a month? Is $3 for an episode with commercials worth it? When we don't think it is, we just don't buy it, or find elsewhere where it becomes worth it.

Isn't there a point where we DESERVE to get pure content?

Sure there is. But you, by yourself, don't get to determine that. The individual and the networks come to an agreement by exchanging money on where that is. Plenty of people have decided that $2.99 is less than the point where they deserve to get pure (i.e. ad-free) content.