YouTube TV Urged To Drop '$600 Less Than Cable' Ad Claim (lightreading.com) 22
An advertising watchdog has recommended that YouTube TV, Google's growing pay-TV streaming service, drops an ad claim that the service is "$600 less than cable." The recommendation from the National Advertising Division (NAD) stems from a complaint lodged by Charter Communications. From a report: NAD, which used an expedited process for single-issue advertising cases in making this decision, found that YouTube TV's pricing claim, which identifies "comparable standalone cable" as the basis of comparison, doesn't hold up. NAD noted that the price calculation underlying the challenged claim includes the cost of two set-top boxes per household for "standalone cable" services," but argued that such a comparison isn't a good fit because operators such as Charter offer pay-TV streaming options that may not require a set-top box. In Charter's case, its Spectrum TV app, billed as a platform that can "stream outside the cable box," is compatible with iOS and Android mobile devices along with several retail streaming devices and/or integrated connected TVs from companies such as Apple, Roku, Google and Samsung. "In the context of the 'cable' comparison, NAD found the claim reasonably conveys the cost of YouTube TV is compared to all cable services," the organization explained.
Subjunctive (Score:2, Informative)
"An advertising watchdog has recommended that YouTube TV...drops an ad claim" is grammatically indefensible.
People don't even say that in colloquial English.
Re:Subjunctive (Score:4, Insightful)
Charter offs a serivde that's not cable (Score:2)
Other axis of concern (Score:3)
I see those ads and I think they're pretty disingenuous: if I've got cable TV, there's a good chance I'm using cable for my Internet, too. In many cases, the TV is actually "free" - I get a $10 discount on my cable bill by waving cable TV, but that's it.
That basic package gets you a handful of ad-laced channels - for $10 more. Then you get some added stuff or a bit more, and so on. The only reason you'd possibly want these packages, IMO, is for sportball - ESPN, UFC fights, and so on. (Even then, those things can be streamed independently in many cases.)
Youtube TV is $65/$72 a month. With that, you still get ads.
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10651730?hl=en
That, and you have a very limited sportball line-up (from what I can tell): basketball and football. Not sure how extensive that is, but it seems like you'd still need ESPN+ and such to get more games.
I don't understand the market for it, at all. Sportball people who have starlink or DSL and don't know how to use the Internet?
Re: (Score:2)
I get a $10 discount on my cable bill by waving cable TV
That's odd. I get a $10 discount by including cable TV. The "bundle" is cheaper than standalone Internet. I suppose they hope to make money on advertising.
I never watch TV, but if I'm paid to have it, I'm happy to take it and never use it.
Re: Other axis of concern (Score:2)
I didn't take their offer.
I felt like $10/month wasn't enough to be paid to store their box and have to drop it off at their store if I moved.
And even if (Score:2)
It's also worth 600 bucks less than cable.
Yes, that's possible. As far as I'm concerned, cable has a negative value.
FTFY (Score:3)
** Price comparison assumes a household using two cable boxes
If there's audio, you can have that line read by John Moschitta. Jr. [wikipedia.org] at 586 wpm to cover your asses while obfuscating the truth. While I'm all for truth in advertising, I have absolutely no sympathy for cable companies. Those bastards often add a ton of hidden fees on top of their own advertised prices, so I believe my suggestions are tame compared to their behavior.
At 70$ a month (Score:4, Interesting)
It's OK to lie,... (Score:2)
...just don't lie against another large corporation. Seems like.
Re: (Score:2)
This effort must have been funded by Comcast, who's own ads are far more deceptive than this.
Re: (Score:2)
Why do you say that? It's a watchdog group calling them out, not another large corporation
Re: (Score:2)
The watchdog group is an industry self-advocacy group / cartel / vested interest group. See the board of directors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBB_National_Programs), it is full of entrenched advertisement providers / consumers.
They dont even know their own prices (Score:2)
They dont even know their own prices I thought. Didnt they just complain to congress that honest pricing in their commercials is too hard to determine per market?
But they suddenly know their prices the second someone elses is cheaper. Hmmmmm
Mental Response: WHO AND WHAT? (Score:2)
As a guitarist, I saw "NAD" and started mentally preparing myself to read who got what new amp today. It took a moment for me to even realize through my vicarious excitement that I wasn't on a guitar site. New Amp Day will never be the same. Sigh.
Charter price lies (Score:2)
And I urge Slashdot to stop showing clickbait. (Score:2)
Lawyer for the defense here. You didn't specify a time period. Over the average lifetime of a customer with cable, if they'd switched to YouTube TV the whole time they might have saved $600 total.
When someone else gets to control the narrative... they'll cheat you. Every... single... time...
Charter, the 800lb gorilla of a dying industry (Score:1)
Sunday Ticket marketing is less effective (Score:2)