Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

Post by justesjc » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:36 AM UTC

jimt1234 wrote: post #238

A few weeks after all this beef started, Google emailed me with an offer for a free "Chromecast with Google TV" device. I thought it was weird, as the email (and the offer) was completely unsolicited. The email mentioned something about thanking me for being a YouTube-TV customer. I'm sure Google knows I watch YouTube-TV from my Roku-enabled TV, so I figured it was related to the beef. I just though it was weird at f…

Post by adolph » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:43 AM UTC

alistairSH wrote: post #289

Wistar wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does their advertising feel so disruptive? Is it because it feels like something just broke for a moment? It seems that an ad will often be inserted right at a key moment. Maybe it is that I feel like I have to constantly hold the remote, ready to "skip" the rest of the ads, except now they are getting less and less skippable. Also, lately, they are running two ads instead of one. It is so annoying I have been wa…

I don’t know how people can watch ads. We went cable-free a few years ago, so now it’s all Netflix or other pay-to-stream services. When I watch YouTube, as soon as an ad begins, I usually click away. Same for freemium content on Amazon Video. Can’t stand it.

Post by Nekhrimah » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:54 AM UTC

warent wrote: post #282

musicale wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Promotion is baked into so many videos on youtube - just as it has been in television and film for decades. I'm not sure whether it's getting worse, or if it has always been this bad and I just didn't notice it as much.

The nice thing is that the format of promos are pretty consistent. Video intro, promo for about 60 seconds, then main video start. I've never felt bothered by skipping ahead past the promo. Actually many viewers feel really glad and supportive that the content creators they're fans of are getting sponsored and paid.

Post by mbesto » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 3:03 AM UTC

pkulak wrote: post #95

dtjb wrote: post #18

I get this situation is different since YouTube is looking for concessions on functionality, but I find it hard to defend Roku with their triple-dipping scheme. They charge for the device (I paid over $100 for my 4k HDR box), then they display massive ads covering 50% of the screen, then they want a cut of revenue from content providers as well. Roku burned through a lot of goodwill with their customers during the HB…

I can't say this for everyone, but a tech consumer has to know that just over $100 does not cover the cost of the hardware. It's got to come from somewhere else. I'm usually not much of an Apple fan, but I just switched to the Apple TV and am really liking it. It certainly seems like charging 2x the price for the hardware removes a lot of the incentive to do all the scammy stuff Ruku is involved in; though I guess I…

Post by denkmoon » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 3:06 AM UTC

gtirloni wrote: post #305

gadrev wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lately, the Chromecast has become substantially worse, with many more ads and of course a stupid update nobody asked for showing kind of a tablet UI when you're in "idle" mode with the phone connected to the TV (idk how you're supposed to operate it, but I don't care, ofc it's a clickbait showcase screen). Before the increase in ad frequency (and some bugs like a random unlinking of the device when you put the app in…

Chromecasts have ads? I've never seen one in my life on them. Are you talking about free YouTube? I liked the first Chromecast and since I upgraded to the latest with Google TV, I think it's the best experience ever. I sometimes want to take mine to friends' place so I don't have you suffer through whatever horrible smart TV interface they have.