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14 Messages
too many commercials
There are far too many commercials on Directv just today I noticed that ovation is running a 60 min program at 150 minutes.
That is 2 and one half hours and only 60 minutes of program. (if they didn't edit the content to make room for more commercials) today I watched in disbelief as a program went to break and showed 12 minutes of commercials and then returned to the program for exactly 2 minutes and then went to break again for 7 minutes.
This is insane.
This is not premium programming either it is a solid B program.
While looking at research for this topic I noticed several complaints in the past few years and one of the repeating fantasies that I see as an answer is that DirecTV/ATT has no control over what is aired on the network.
This is absolutely false…
There are always rules and often they are unpublished but part of the contracting process.
If Directv had no control over what broadcasters published in terms of quality and quantity the brand would soon become worthless and even if ATT wanted to sell to another company the product/network would be worthless if there were no accountability for what broadcaster aired. (there are federal rules of course, but there is also network accountability)
Imagine you owned a large network with many publishers/channels/networks
If you had no control over what they put on the air you could literally have anything show up on your satellite feed, anything from banned content to R rated content published as G rated or so many commercials that the programming that subscribers are paying for becomes worthless because the user is spending twice as much time trying to skip all those commercials.
So please be aware there are rules! No one could possibly believe that a network would just say hey ruin our brand if you want to we don't care because we have no control over how you dilute our brand.
These rules keep broadcasting networks from ruining the brand and the product in this case DirecTV/ATT
Now obviously these rules have been relaxed to create more opportunity to show consumers more commercials but if this trend continues the product will lose value and subscribers.
What I find fascinating here is that my DVD collection is starting to look like a good rival to directv.
I have more movies I can watch on DVD and yes VHS LOL than what I can see on Directv and that includes the premium channels too.
Part of the problem is the new licensing scheme where streaming providers compete with cable for programming content and on top of that you have broadcasters who are competing with satellite and cable and they are all attempting to license content this has caused the price of content licensing fees to increase dramatically.
So this is why you are seeing season one and two of a popular programming option but not season three or season four.
All of these things are devaluing the brand.
Take for example a popular science fiction program, there are six seasons available but providers are only licensing the first or second season and they are getting an unlimited license option so the subscribers are presented with having to watch the same program multiple times in a 30 day time period.
So you see season one and season two for four to six weeks and not many people will really sit there and watch the same program over and over again so that is also devaluing the platform.
Another neat trick is that licensing for long term multiple season broadcast options are now missing multiple episodes.
(This is designed to get the broadcaster to license more programming if they want to provide a longer term consumer interaction with that content.)
Of course for some reason they never show those missing episodes because they opted to not purchase the additional add on programming.
This also devalues the platform.
All of these things are creating a situation where consumers are tiring of more commercials than content and it is creating more opportunity for digital providers to move into the former space that the platform once occupied.
This is insanity and were it only a few years ago anyone attempting this kind of ridiculous marketing would have been laughed out of the boardroom.
It does appear that ATT is really sort of abandoning directv to what (if not corrected) will be a devaluation of epic proportions unheard of in most of corporate America.
For me a subscriber for 22 years I think this is my bail out point, I will not fast forward through 90 minutes of commercials for a 60 min program that is stupidity and perhaps there are plenty of subscribers out there that want a devalued product like this but honestly I think they should have taken the dish deal three years ago now the value has been so diluted that there may be no real way out.
Whatever is really going on with this platform its just not worth it now.
shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.3K Messages
3 years ago
DTV as well as all TV providers have no control over a channels programming or the number of commercials. They only send you what the channels sends to them. AT&T has sold off 30% of DTV last year.
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sealtec
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14 Messages
3 years ago
I see you did not read the post, thats ok a lot of people may believe that nonsense but the truth is no corporate broadcasting company allows a contract holder to do whatever they want whenever they want there are always limits, there are always rules. providers are not allowed to devalue the platform and if as you suggest Directv is not a primary party then what are they? You see your answer cannot be correct because you are assuming that ATT and Directv are not representing the platform or allowing a licenced provider to become the wild wild west of satellite service. To be clear all corporate providers have limits this goes for every media medium from cable to satellite to broadcast providers if you doubt that fact take a look at the 117 page standard contract, because if as you suggest there are no rules and its anything goes and Directv and Att have no control then why do they need more than a one page contract. (I would love to show you an actual contract for media broadcasting on satellite but I can't publish it and there is also an NDA that prevents these documents from being published but rest assured you are incorrect in your assumption. Do have a look at the commercial terms, this is just for some provisions of advertisers, (this is not the provider format) which is far more lengthy and contains many more rules and provisions but you can see how just this published terms of advertising services would tend to show that indeed directv does have full controll over everything. https://www.directvadvertising.com/advertising-terms-conditions/
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sealtec
New Member
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14 Messages
3 years ago
https://www.directvadvertising.com/advertising-terms-conditions/ This is a conditional advertising terms of service, but it demonstrates how much actual control the platform has in these instances it is substantial and this is just the directv part not the provider contract. That contract is much longer and is filled floor to ceiling with so much control that it would spin your head around like the exorcist.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.3K Messages
3 years ago
AFAIK that is for locally inserted ads that DTV sends to the hard drive and is triggered to play not for commercially aired channel programs. DTV doesn't sell ad space except for those locally inserted ads, it is a subscription service.
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sealtec
New Member
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14 Messages
3 years ago
Hey, I get it, you believe that what you assume is correct, If you read the post you would see why your answer cannot be correct, but let me ask you one question and that answer will help you to understand why you are incorrect. Who get fined if a provider airs content that violates FCC rules and regulations? (Thats right its Directv/Att and that is why there are always rules, limits, controls) this is why they must have control over what happens on the companies platform. Because if a provider breaks the rules they may eventually have to deal with the consequences of that issue but when the FCC come knocking at the door they are not looking for a third party to the advertising platform they are looking for the actually license holder and that is ATT/DirecTV of course DirecTV would come after the provider/broadcaster for those fines so they would be accountable but this is the reason why DirecTV/Att would be foolish not to exercise full control over a third party provider, because ATT is the primary party and the platform is the secondary party so the provider, (channel) is the third party. No company would ever allow that kind of a statement as an answer to liability.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.3K Messages
3 years ago
The FCC will fine the content provider (channel) and maybe the TV provider that didn't blank it out in time.
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litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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46.7K Messages
3 years ago
I have a DVR. I never watch commercials. I skip them.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23.4K Messages
3 years ago
The rules and regulations control what a channel may broadcast, not the TV provider. The TV provider gets an agreement to carry the channel for so long, but does not dictate what the content may be other than following the rules set down by Federal regulations. DirecTV and other TV providers do not set the rules, just expected to follow them is all.
If a channel violates Federal regulations, then they (the channel owner) are the ones held accountable.
Channel owners will sell as much advertising space as they can within regulations to generate as much revenue as they can. If a channel looses enough viewership because of that, then the TV provider can choose not to not renew the carriage agreement the next time (or perhaps negotiate for a much lower rate, citing the declined viewership).
Bottom line is DirecTV and other TV providers have no 'direct' control. But how the channel is received does influence how carriage negotiations go (or not at all if the channel upsets the waters too much). During the carriage agreement, the channel owner has the right to do what they want as long as they don't violate the Federally established rules.
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gsteuter
New Member
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1 Message
3 years ago
Personally I am tired of having to record everything to fast forward through the commercials. It gives me an opportunity to note that forty percent of the shows are commercials. This is not only ridiculous , it's insane. Nothing agitates me more than repetitive commercials most of which are scamming you out of your money. Hoping for a new satellite company that offers commercial free , especially for the money that we are charged for it. Also commercials should be held accountable for misleading people, Especially colonial pen with their 9.95 nonsense, And repetitive marketing medicare commercials that have nothing to do with medicare.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.3K Messages
3 years ago
Can't be done as all channels come from the same content providers and they all have commercials, if it could be done then you would pay hundreds more for it per month.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23.4K Messages
3 years ago
@gsteuter
The channel has the commercials, not the TV provider. So same channel on a different provider and you get all those same commercials.
Network owner charges advertisers for that commercial space and charges the TV provider to carry the channel. If it was commercial free, your TV cost would be much higher.
Doubtful there would be a new satellite TV provider. That is because those satellites need to be in geosynchronous orbit in order to properly broadcast to the entire country. And there is limited availability in that 'space' where it doesn't interfere with other satellites, Federal regulations on that delivery method, as well as space debris issues.
The alternative to commercial free is content that is delivered directly. Some networks run their own streaming service so you pay for their specific programming (i.e. Disney Plus). Not a variety of channels, and tends to be only their owned content, but is commercial free. But if you want variety, by the time you add the streaming services on different content owners together, you can be paying the price of a regular TV provider anyway but with multiple logins to manage.
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