I got all these streaming services to avoid ads—now they’re everywhere.
When we all got rid of cable, many of us did so to have access to content that was not reliant on ads to support it. Now, Disney+ said it will launch an ad-supported option later this year, and Variety reported HBO Max plans to program a 90-second advertising block ahead of some movies. Hulu has always had a commercial branch, and IMDbTV has free movies supported by ad systems.
Still, if you’re paying for these services, why are they forcing ads on you? The simple answer is revenue.
While most of these places say it’s their chance to access lower-income groups who might not want to pay as much every month, really it’s a way to double-dip. You get people’s cash, and you get payments from the advertising bodies.
Most companies are going to tell you that these discounted rates are good for families, but we have no disclosure on how much money they made from advertisements before, after, and during programming. The real worry is that as more and more people embrace ads, how far will they go?
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
