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Is NBC the new TNT?

post #1 of 299
10/29/07 at 7:18am
Thread Starter 
I've noticed the past few weeks in the 4 shows I watch that NBC has crept these big ass promotions into their HD feeds just like TNT does. They take up the bottom ~20% of the screen usually from edge to edge. If its not edge to edge it takes up over half of the screen with the little color from the peacock telling me what I am currently watching (because I'm a dumbass), what comes on next, and then promoting a show on in 4 days.

Last night during Bourne Supremacy, which I turned off right after this, there was a promotion for some other show later in the week. The particular scene in the movie was dark but this huge bright white banner came on. Very annoying.

I used to enjoy the fact that this junk didn't litter up the HD programs. Now I see them on NBC and am even more glad that I don't watch this channel much. After ER and Scrubs end after this season I'll be happy I only watch 2 shows on this channel. That and the fact that our local sends the HD signal at less than 12 mbps.

I don't recall seeing this junk on CBS, ABC, or FOX.
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post #2 of 299
10/29/07 at 7:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mx6bfast View Post

Is NBC the new TNT?

Hey, maybe they can do Scrubs in strech-o-vision......
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post #3 of 299
10/29/07 at 7:58am
What makes it worse is they're schlepping that brainless "Phenomenon" during their premium primetime scripted dramas.

(and it seems to always be a dark scene that is interrupted with the big, bright white banner)
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post #4 of 299
10/29/07 at 8:19am
I agree, this is very frustrating and annoying. I only watch NBC for Life and L&Os so its not too bad for me.

I know exactly what show I'm watching, I don't need to know whats on next or in a few days or weeks. I have a channel guide, TV Guide Channel, online resources, the news paper, etc.
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post #5 of 299
10/29/07 at 9:00am
All last year they made inroads with getting viewers to the channel with Heroes, FNL, 30 Rock, The Office etc.

Now they are just pissing off the same viewers they worked so hard to get.

Another great Silverman idea I imagine.
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post #6 of 299
10/29/07 at 9:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CPanther95 View Post

What makes it worse is they're schlepping that brainless "Phenomenon" during their premium primetime scripted dramas.

(and it seems to always be a dark scene that is interrupted with the big, bright white banner)

I know, the first time it's like whoa!, why is there a dove flying across the screen... ohh it's a fn promo.

The least they could do is limit it to ONCE per show, I mean come on do we really need to see it after every break.
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post #7 of 299
10/29/07 at 9:58am
We are "voting" with our eyeballs and our family is taking our viewing elsewhere. NBC idiots. Their dingie is sinking, taking on water, and they are pissing in the bottom of the boat.
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post #8 of 299
10/29/07 at 10:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timpanogos View Post

We are "voting" with our eyeballs and our family is taking our viewing elsewhere. NBC idiots. Their dingie is sinking, taking on water, and they are pissing in the bottom of the boat.

I think they are banking on the assumption that a "prestige-less" network is something that won't drastically affect the bottom line until NBC is under new ownership.

Right now they are in the mode of selling off that prestige at $0.10 on the dollar.
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post #9 of 299
10/29/07 at 10:54am
Hey, they've simply completed their plunge to tier-II network status. If you're no longer a legitimate Major Network there's no reason to act/look like one right? It's one of the perks of being a crappy, irrelevant network. They can now plaster advertising all over their programming at will without regard to things like providing a quality viewing experience etc.

Once the proud peacock, now a sniveling second rate doormat. Pretty pathetic....


ron
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post #10 of 299
10/29/07 at 11:00am
I agree that screen crawls, etc. while a show is on are extremely annoying. I am trying to train myself to ignore them, though, because they are clearly the wave of the future. As more and more people record everything they watch in order to be able to fast forward through the commercial interruptions, the networks are going to counter with more and more commercial content shown simultaneously with the shows. It sucks but there it is.
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post #11 of 299
10/29/07 at 11:03am
The only way to ignore this new breed of NBC promo is to close your eyes.
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post #12 of 299
10/29/07 at 11:21am
Thread Starter 
Someone on here has a great sig that says TNT: We know pop-ups. They could add NBC to that sig.
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post #13 of 299
10/29/07 at 12:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mx6bfast View Post

Someone on here has a great sig that says TNT: We know pop-ups. They could add NBC to that sig.

NBC: Must See Pop-Ups...?
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post #14 of 299
10/29/07 at 12:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by NetworkTV View Post

NBC: Must See Pop-Ups...?

Good call.
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post #15 of 299
10/29/07 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwsat View Post

I agree that screen crawls, etc. while a show is on are extremely annoying. I am trying to train myself to ignore them, though, because they are clearly the wave of the future. As more and more people record everything they watch in order to be able to fast forward through the commercial interruptions, the networks are going to counter with more and more commercial content shown simultaneously with the shows. It sucks but there it is.

How far away are we from having a window in the corner showing commercials during the programming? Wait maybe I shouldn't give them any ideas

I wish I knew what research they do that shows that this is effective in getting advertising. I guess its the same idiots that answer the phone for telemarketers that this works on.

They wonder why the audiences are shrinking for network television. 18-20 minutes of commercials per hour on average, of which a big chuck on that is self promotion for the network, and now these pop-ups. Even pay tv (Showtime) is guilty of in show promotion pop-ups. DVD made me leave network television almost all together for a while until HDTV got me back. This kind of thing is making me want to leave again.
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post #16 of 299
10/29/07 at 1:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AtogMuncher View Post

How far away are we from having a window in the corner showing commercials during the programming? Wait maybe I shouldn't give them any ideas

Already there, our great friends at TNT decided to ruin an HD broadcast of the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race by doing this.

ESPN and ABC have been doing this for a few years on IRL races, however, their implementation was much better then TNTs.
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post #17 of 299
10/29/07 at 1:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by homcom View Post

Already there, our great friends at TNT decided to ruin an HD broadcast of the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race by doing this.

ESPN and ABC have been doing this for a few years on IRL races, however, their implementation was much better then TNTs.

ESPN also tried to do it during MLS games. It was terrible and they quickly stopped it.
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post #18 of 299
10/30/07 at 2:37am
Tonight while watching Heroes, NBC finally pulled my last nerve and broke the final straw.

It's bad enough that we've had to sit through the same type of obnoxious promos that are spreading across cable for shows like Bionic Woman, Friday Night Lights, Journeyman etc. while we are watching something else. Then we had to endure the animated lower third for Phenomenon three times during an hour for the past three weeks. Now they think it's okay to advertise NBC Universal theatrical releases in the lower third during their prime time shows.

It's time to tell them it's not okay. It's time to tell them that if they want to keep the new viewers that they've acquired by finally airing good quality shows like Heroes, Chuck, Friday Night Lights, The Office, 30 Rock and My name is Earl then they need to start treating the audience with respect. We choose to watch those shows and we can just as easily choose to watch something else.

Let them know. Contact:

Michael Pilot
Michael.Pilot@nbcuni.com
President, NBCU Sales & Marketing
212.664.6795

Jim Hoffman
James.Hoffman@nbcuni.com
SVP, Network Entertainment Sales
212.664.7045


NBC think it's okay to force advertising on us, so return the favor. If you have any junk mail put it in an envelope and send it to:

NBCUNI.COM FEEDBACK
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608

Got a blog? Post on other forums? Copy and paste this information there. If you sit back and do nothing then pretty soon your favorite shows will be animated billboards.
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post #19 of 299
10/30/07 at 5:39am
I noticed that as well.

I may wait anmd start seeing Heroes on Mojo.
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post #20 of 299
10/30/07 at 6:04am
Topics merged.
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post #21 of 299
10/30/07 at 6:50am
NBC was even advertising a movie (American Gangster) during Sunday nights Bourne Supremacy that hasn't even started in the theaters yet. And your right OP, nbc is taking up the bottom 15-20% of the screen.
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post #22 of 299
10/30/07 at 6:59am
Ok, so we encourage the convergence of our TVs and our PCs and we get Google to write an add-in for our TVs that is a pop-up blocker. We have pop-up blockers for our web browser, why not for our TVs?
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post #23 of 299
10/30/07 at 7:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by VisionOn View Post

Tonight while watching Heroes, NBC finally pulled my last nerve and broke the final straw.

It's bad enough that we've had to sit through the same type of obnoxious promos that are spreading across cable for shows like Bionic Woman, Friday Night Lights, Journeyman etc. while we are watching something else. Then we had to endure the animated lower third for Phenomenon three times during an hour for the past three weeks. Now they think it's okay to advertise NBC Universal theatrical releases in the lower third during their prime time shows.

It's time to tell them it's not okay. It's time to tell them that if they want to keep the new viewers that they've acquired by finally airing good quality shows like Heroes, Chuck, Friday Night Lights, The Office, 30 Rock and My name is Earl then they need to start treating the audience with respect. We choose to watch those shows and we can just as easily choose to watch something else.

Let them know. Contact:

Michael Pilot
Michael.Pilot@nbcuni.com
President, NBCU Sales & Marketing
212.664.6795

Jim Hoffman
James.Hoffman@nbcuni.com
SVP, Network Entertainment Sales
212.664.7045


NBC think it's okay to force advertising on us, so return the favor. If you have any junk mail put it in an envelope and send it to:

NBCUNI.COM FEEDBACK
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608

Got a blog? Post on other forums? Copy and paste this information there. If you sit back and do nothing then pretty soon your favorite shows will be animated billboards.

I was wondering if you guys noticed the movie ad. I cringed and wanted to throw something at the TV. What's next...a big "DRINK MOUNTAIN DEW" ad?

Ugh....I mean I understand with DVRs they're trying to find ways to advertise things, but enough is enough. First the Phenomenon thing (literally the most annoying thing ever) then the peacock dance, and now the movie ads. Ugh!

This is all because we didn't stand up to the "watermark" network logo thing (which I used to think was the pinnacle of annoyingness). Now they're just pushing their luck. Maybe someone more ambitious than me could start a "boycott this show" group. I know I was interested in Phenomemon when I first heard about it, but after weeks of that stupid promo I decided not to just based on principle.
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post #24 of 299
10/30/07 at 1:14pm
Attach this when you write him.

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post #25 of 299
10/30/07 at 2:59pm
Thread Starter 
My email to them this morning.

Subject: HD programming pop-ups

To whom it may concern,
I would like to voice my displeasure with the way NBC is now doing pop-ups and promotions during HD programming.

It’s as if NBC has fallen down to the level of TNT, which is the worst at pop-ups and almost everything HD in general. I do not see these annoying ads on your rival stations. NBC HD is no longer a “premium service” now that this is going on.

In particular it is very discouraging to be watching a movie, in this instance Bourne Supremacy, and during a dark scene see this blaring white ad for Phenomenon or whatever taking up the bottom 20% of my TV screen. It was enough for me to turn off the movie and watch another station. And the crazy thing about it was I love that movie, and have it on DVD. But the way the ads are done is enough to push me away from watching a movie I have already seen numerous times that I was interested in seeing again. I ended up getting the movie and popping it into the DVD player after the other show was over.

During programming I don’t need to be reminded after every commercial break what I am watching, what comes on next, and then what comes on 4 days from now. It is very annoying, distracting, and takes away from the viewing experience. My viewing of NBC will drastically decrease if nothing is done about this practice.

Thank you,
Dennis
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post #26 of 299
10/30/07 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iowahawkeye View Post

NBC was even advertising a movie (American Gangster) during Sunday nights Bourne Supremacy that hasn't even started in the theaters yet. And your right OP, nbc is taking up the bottom 15-20% of the screen.

Didn't NBC "News" also dedicate a full hour of Dateline to American Gangster ?
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post #27 of 299
10/31/07 at 1:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mproper View Post

I know I was interested in Phenomemon when I first heard about it, but after weeks of that stupid promo I decided not to just based on principle.

The 'Phenomenon' promo had the same effect on me. I was mildly interested in it before I saw the pop-up promos, but now there is almost no chance I will watch it.
When Showtime did the same with promos for 'The Tudors' about a year ago during episodes of 'Penn & Teller B.S.' (or maybe it was during 'Weeds'), I vowed never to watch 'The Tudors'. I was more offended by Showtime doing it because it is a pay channel.
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post #28 of 299
11/1/07 at 8:16am
And it will only be a matter of time that a constant ad (a-la FX "IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY or Bravo "Real Housewives new season in 6 days") will be atop the NBC-HD logo. Maybe next the screen can be shrunk down and ads can pop up around all the edges. The endless repetitive shilling (which was ripped apart by Lewis Black on the Emmys and can be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFYhupmhhBw) by all the networks has got to be scaled back big time. And we thought the watermarks and 1000mph closing credits were bad enough.

This post sponsored by FRANK TV and Phenomenon (LIVE in 6 days)
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post #29 of 299
11/1/07 at 10:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mx6bfast View Post

ESPN also tried to do it during MLS games. It was terrible and they quickly stopped it.

They did it for an entire season! 3 goals took place during "ESPN Side by side so you don't miss a moment of action." (i can see it now: "all 3?" come up with something more creative )
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post #30 of 299
11/1/07 at 10:53am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GutBomb View Post

They did it for an entire season! 3 goals took place during "ESPN Side by side so you don't miss a moment of action." (i can see it now: "all 3?" come up with something more creative )

Wow, I didn't realize they did it that long. I guess that was because I stopped watching because of that.
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