Spyke
jqubedreply
lemmy.world

Shareholders and marketers want this.

It has become increasingly important for DirecTV to diversify revenue beyond satellite and Internet subscriptions. DirecTV had over 20 million subscribers in 2015; in 2024, streaming business publication Next TV, citing an anonymous source “close to the company,” reported that the AT&T-owned firm was down to about 11 million subscribers.

Simultaneously, the streaming industry—including streaming services and streaming software—has been increasingly relying on advertising to boost revenue. For some streaming service providers, increasing revenue through ads is starting to eclipse the pressure to do so through subscriber counts. Considering DirecTV's declining viewership and growing interest in streaming, finding more ways to sell ads seems like a natural progression.

With legacy pay TV providers already dealing with dwindling subscriptions, introducing new types of ads risks making DirecTV less appealing as well.

And it’s likely that things won’t end there.

“This, we can integrate across different places within the television,” [advertisement provider] Glance COO Mansi Jain told The Verge. "We are starting with the screensaver, but tomorrow… we can integrate it in the launcher of the TV."

53
TexasDrunkreply
lemmy.world

More people are moving to streaming services! Quick, let's make shit way worse!

24
TexasDrunkreply
lemmy.world

Where the fuck are they gonna go? Back to cable? Mwahahahaha

Twirls Dick Dastardly mustache

4
Zinkreply
programming.dev

I think we are seeing "late abandoner" costs with large groups of people. It's like paying high "early adopter" costs but instead of getting new technology for it, you get the comfort of hanging on to old stuff as its business model circles the drain and the executives piloting the sinking ships bleed the dwindling customer base for whatever they can.

3
CocaineShrimp
sh.itjust.works

I feel a class action lawsuit incoming: "Advertisers using customers likeness in ads, without providing compensation"

58
Canacondareply
lemmy.ca

Ever notice how now a days you have to scroll through the whole TOS before blindly clicking AGREE?

Yea...

26
Canacondareply
lemmy.ca

Here's hoping American courts keep meaning anything.

6
reddig33
lemmy.world

In case you were wondering how they would get a picture of the users face…

“DirecTV's screensavers will let a user create an AI avatar of themself by scanning a QR code on the screensaver”

38
Ep1cFac3pa1mreply
lemmy.world

Thanks for this. I was imagining some dystopian requirement that you had to let them scan your face or pay an extra $10 a month or something.

20
NocturnalEngineer
lemmy.world

I don't get how this would ever be a good idea.

I would be extremely uncomfortable seeing my face in adverts, even for products I use. I'm already uncomfortable with adverts using personal recommendations based on tracking my web history & habits.

I actively avoid those products in the future, and I can only see this alienating their marketing base further.

25
bulwark
lemmy.world

I'd be more angry about this, but I just found out that DirecTV is still in business.

25
MrEff
lemmy.world

Oh, you mean the real reason there has been a push to get us to use face ID verification on every site that depends on ads?

24
hotdogcharmer
lemmy.zip

Marketers ruin everything. Marketers are liars. I've worked with marketing departments in every job I've ever had, and they're scum every time. Social media obsessed weirdos who can't do anything honest and authentic. Freaks.

20
rem26_art
fedia.io

DirecTV's screensavers will let a user create an AI avatar of themself by scanning a QR code on the screensaver. Afterward, they can use the avatar to browse through different AI content. Users will also reportedly be able to dress up their AI avatars, allowing Glance's screensaver to recommend real-life products to purchase by performing a reverse-image search.

Who is gonna even willingly do this? You're not creating a Mii to put into Wii Sports. It's just to advertise to you.

(the company Glance, mentioned in the quote, is the company providing the AI screensaver ad technology to DirecTV)

16
Reygle
lemmy.world

Bwahahahaha! I don't even watch TV any more. Every time I wind up at my parent's home I cannot believe the idiocy that's on the TV. Ball game is on? They've made sure it's impossible that a single frame of the feed does not show at least one advertisement, whether "splashed" over the video or covering every square inch of the location they're broadcasting.

"Television" is officially dead to me, but I get that a lot of people still watch it. What I don't understand is WHY they do.

8
J92
lemmy.world

I was scrolling through my LG TV's settings not long ago and the amount of times it vampirically suggested I invite it onto my WiFi made me laugh.

No my friend, you're my dumb TV. My laptop already doesn't allow ads, so why would I need you to for a less navigable UI?

2

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DirecTV screensavers will show AI-generated ads with your face in 2026 | Spyke