Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

An interesting perspective on the potential for Amazon to bid for the Premiership rights here.

https://www.ibc.org/delivery/analysi...-/2434.article

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

As the saying goes you can't teach an old dog new tricks.;)

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

Damn! That must be why you are refusing to accept that change is inevitable! :D

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

It's interesting that Old Boy regards Sky as a monopoly but actively promotes the likes of Amazon :D

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

Amazon isn't a monopoly, actually, and it is extremely good at what it does, which explains why they have been so successful.

Incidentally, I have not been promoting Amazon, I've been drawing attention to their interest in bidding for the Premier League.

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

OB does excel with his wise pearls of contradictory wisdom.:D

---------- Post added at 19:09 ---------- Previous post was at 19:07 ----------

There is change and there is unlikely change and l shall leave it at that.;)

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

Shame Amazon treat their staff like crap.

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

Well, that may be so, but customers are getting a good deal from Amazon.

Hopefully, they will be listening to criticism of its employment policies.

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

Insincere lip service they call it OB.

---------- Post added at 04:43 ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 ----------

Well that depends on ones thinking as some think they offer good value and others think they are a rip off.

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

Why a rip off, Den? They often have the cheapest prices around.

If Amazon is a rip off, I cannot think what you'd say about John Lewis and M&S!

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

They certainly are not the cheapest around example 1 cities skylines on ps4 Amazon price (with prime add £1.99 for none prime) £34.99, Argos price £24.99 quite a big difference.
Example number 2 rise of the tomb raider ps4 Amazon price £37.99, HMV price £29.99 Argos price £19.99 the list goes on.
Also worth noting the Argos and HMV prices were not special offers either.
Amazons live tv is a rip off too if you wanted everything you'd be better of sticking with VM or Sky and this is coming from a cord cutter.
Quite often i find what i want much cheaper elsewhere than Amazoin and no i'm not pirating the items OB lol.

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

:D

Yes, I agree that some items are more expensive, but many items are cheaper than you can get elsewhere. I've not heard anyone accuse Amazon of being a 'rip off' before, I think that is unfair.

As for their TV side, I don't really find many of the channels they offer to be of interest to me. They are certainly expensive if you want to subscribe to them all, but their offering is designed to benefit those who have one or two specific channels to suit their needs. For them, it's quite a saving over even the most basic satellite or cable subscription. Having said that, I am surprised that they don't offer a package that pays for all the channels on offer, which would be attractive to some and would generate more paying customers.

Some don't much like the fact that some of their films and TV series are chargeable, but these are the programmes for which Amazon do not hold the rights. Personally, I only watch the Prime stuff, but it's nice to know that there's other stuff on there if you need it, albeit with a charge.

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

Oh dear so saving a few pence means more to you than hard working people being in a job what pays them a liveable wage.:doh:

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

They may well listen, but I suspect they won't change a thing until either their profits are affected or the government intervenes.

---------- Post added at 12:39 ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 ----------

I can see two ways this will work. If they don't ask you to register, they will simply track what their viewers are watching en mass and use this to schedule the shows. This is not new, and is actually what Channel 4 do in this country with More 4.

If they do require you to register, then yes, they open up the possibility of an individually scheduled channel, but they could (and probably will) harvest all sorts of other information about you, which they could then sell on. That info, at the very least, will be used to advertise stuff to you and could be used for other stuff. Stuff that doesn't benefit you. Imagine a situation where you (for whatever reason) buy a lot of junk food at your local supermarket. You have a loyalty card, and are using it to save up points. By using that loyalty card, you are giving the supermarket permission to track what you are buying. You may also be giving them the right to sell that information. Perhaps to an insurance company you are looking to buy life insurance from. All of a sudden, your premiums go up because you buy a lot of junk food (even though it may not actually be for you). Now, add in data from streaming services (which, even if they don't already sell the info, you can bet the terms of conditions of service give them the freedom to sell it). Now, I doubt that you watching dodgy 80s action movies on Netflix is going to massively impact your life, but the technology exists, should some company decide to, to merge all this info into a nice, handy, profile which companies trying to sell you services (such as life insurance or loans/mortgages) can use to determine your lifestyle. Even if the use of such info is illegal, companies will actively lobby governments to get the law changed.

Linear channels cannot track your personal information even if the owners wanted to.

Re: Linear is old tech - on demand is the future
 

VM, BT and Talk Talk all have an upstream from their TV boxes and can track what every customer is watching.
I suspect that as a broadband connection is required for Sky's on demand service they do the same.

I have anecdotal evidence that VM do track their customers usage,
when I recently renegotiated my contract the agent tried to upsell me a V6 box and higher TV package, I explained I hardly ever use my Tivo and don't need a different box or package, within a few seconds he replied "oh no you don't do you".

Its not beyond a stretch of the imagination to think that carriage agreements with linear suppliers would include the sharing of what is being watched on their channels, but I don't think the law would allow the sharing of who is watching those channels.