Hulu quizzing about the ads played

It's finally here...

And the example they use is a guy shooting another guy on TV.
🦅
You don't have to answer the question you know. It's shitty, yes, but it's not forcing anything to happen.

I'd cancel any service that did this to me.

Right? We don't have nice things because we put up with bull crap.

I found the answer! It's https://help.hulu.com/article/hulu-cancel-hulu-subscription

And while you're at it, you should also try this:
- Okay, let's not go mad. This is a streaming service. They are greedy assholes but they aren't actively killing people.

Is this fucking real? Get fucked, mainstream media, if this is the case. Plenty of books and old games to keep me occupied until Alzheimers hits, and then occupied again afterwards

This isn't mainstream media.
This is capitalism.
This is a company making a product, selling it for a given price, then making additional money from embedded ads.
Whether that ad revenue is additional profit, or to offset the actual cost of the item - because the sold it at a loss to beat their competitors - doesn't really matter.
This is the consumer paying for something, and not getting a full and complete product
- Mainstream media and capitalism are part of the same bullshit
- Lol.
  EVERYTHING BAD IS CAPITALISM!
  Aiight, Lemmy.

Can’t be quizzed over ads if you pirate everything.

You can pirate the ads and quizzes
- A friend of mine in college pirated a japanese show which included the ads. The first episode seemed to have subs with legitimate translations. The rest of the season the subtitle author had fun and changed them to make fun of the ads. It was pretty funny.
  There were no quizzes though...
- I was wondering how I should prepare for the tests

Drink verification can to continue

Please drink the verification can

I'm pretty over the whole "4chan dystopian joke becomes real life" thing. Corpo dickheads, you can stop now.

Extremely infuriating. Fuck that, pirate hat stays firmly in place.

Yep my media server is better quality and I can share it with my friends

Somewhere someone thought this was a good idea.

Fuck that individual specifically, fuck head...

Aaaannnnd this just resolidifies my decision to not engage with streaming services. What a load of shit.

Why would anyone put up with the attack that is advertising? If it requires you to watch ads, it's not worth it. You wouldn't sit through a free movie if it meant a stranger showing up every few minutes and offering to let you rim them, (it's not that no one wants what their offering, it's that they don't care whether you're interested or not. They're still going to show you their asshole) why would you allow a similar violation of your mind?

How old are you? The reason I ask is because it was very common to watch movies with ads via free-to-air TV in the 90s, at least in families that didn't have cable TV. Not all families could afford to buy more and more movies on VHS.
- Yeah, there's a history here. That being said, newspapers have included ads and purchase fees for a long time AFAIK.
a free movie
That’s the point. The movie isn’t free. You pay for the admission by rimming that guy. If you don’t want to do that, go to a different cinema and pay with money.
- you're right. at least, depending on the person, there's a chance rimming could be enjoyable. not so with ads that quiz you.
- It's pretty close tbh
I'm, that's how over the air broadcasting is funded. You watch commercials. It's been this way since television started.

hulu is owned by disney. encourage canceling disney+ too just for good measure

This is a brand lift study. It's almost worthless: Hulu is paid nearly zero for it. I can't believe they've stooped this low to scrape so little incremental revenue with such a customer hostile tack. Their product and analytics people must truly suck and completely lack awareness of counter metrics.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Ditch all paid streaming apps.
Research how Stremio, Torrentio, and Real-Debrid work together.
Never pay to see ads ever again.

Except you have to watch out and buy TVs that don't show ads by themselves these days...
- To prevent this from happening, you should always check RTINGS first before buying a TV (or any electronics, for that matter). Scroll down to the "Ad-Free" section for the review of the TV you're considering.
- Am I behind the times? I don't use a television. I use a desktop computer with monitors. The television itself will show ads.?
Exactly, it's really the perfect combination, to be honest. For what? $3 a month? Outrageous?
Or go to one of the streaming websites like 123 movies or whatnot and use an ad blocker. Same experience to an extent.
- It's €16 for 6 months of all the content you could ever care to stream, delivered straight to your living room. So yeah, about $2.75/mo USD for 1000x more content than any other streaming platform. Deal of the century.
  I should also mention that the addon support for Stremio is huge, allowing you to customize your feed exactly how you like it. A good addon for example is Trakt.tv, which recommendeds content based on your viewing habits. Perfect for people who are too dependent on Netflix/Disney/Max/YouTube/etc. and their algorithms (me).
  As the icing on the cake, Stremio also has HDR & Dolby Atmos support. Great for home theater geeks like me.
it's very difficult for me to describe to other people how good this setup is. it's not "check home assistant" good. it's not "use 1password to store your passwords" good. it's almost "just download more ram" good

Ooh, I know the answer!

They're really doing everything in their power to destroy their own business model, aren't they?

I'm always a bit dumbfounded how many people are apparently fine with this sort of thing. I wish this was obviously a death sentence or pr nightmare for the service but in practice it must not be for a lot of people, enough to make it worth attempting.
- Seeing some of those idiots even in the comments on fucking Lemmy of all places is crazy.
They are owned by the cable company, so who knows.
This is squeezing money out of a dying service. That's all.
Hulu is, IIRC, mostly owned by Disney and on its way out. But it was always in an awkward place, without the critical mass of Netflix or some other giant tech/content ecosystem (Amazon, Apple, Disney and such) to push it. In hindsight, it’s kinda laughable that anyone thought it would last.

How many? Turn off TV, unsubscribe from Hulu rows.

Somebody better tell Sony about this. I'm sure they want to cash in from their patent being infringed.

:p /s

The dreaded future of advertising is here. Next step, in your face as you do your daily stuffs.

McDonald’s!
- LOL, I know, right. It's just downright dyatopian
Those adds they play real loud on the gas pumps are annoying af..and your not supposed to get back into your car while filling so you just have to stand there w that shit blaring at you. Circle K does this shit if you are trying to avoid it.
- Oh I suffer from that daily. Yeah it's very annoying.
Why do you think smart eyewear is being boosted at CES?
- Not if you have control over the hardware and firmware. But I suppose open sourced versions will happen one way or another.

Its honestly getting to the point now where doing these home setups are so much simpler than owning these proprietary streaming boxes which have everything locked up to serve you ads or just steal data in general.
Hooking a PC up to the TV even to watch the paid services is probably better at this point.
I wish I was technically savy enough to do any of this.
Unfortunately I am cursed, I break shit and hate having to spend hours working out what's fucked on my computer.
TV's wifi card shit itself, problem solved pulled out replaced.
Computer wouldn't boot cause reason number 432 (actually the flash on the MB said fault reserved for future fault finding) hours of struggling.
For over a decade I've been watching TV Series and Movies from a Media Box connected via Ethernet to my home NAS (which is generally an old notebook or even my router - once I got myself a decent router - with some external hardisks), which is actually a pretty simple network to set up using Ethernet Over Powerlinr adaptors (which were already good enough for it back when they only did 20 Mb/second and now that they're 1000Mb/s will handle even the huge resolution lightly compressed stuff that one can now find as booty out there).
The setup has been recently upgraded to a Mini-PC with Lubuntu and Kodi, which is in my living room (right next to my Internet router to which it is connect with Gigabit Ethernet) and is also my home NAS and Bittorrent server over always on VPN, with a wireless remote for using in my living room to control Kodi (so it works the same as a TV Box for watching media) whilst the background stuff I control from my main PC remotely using a mix of web interfaces and ssh command line.
I had never had this good an environment for TV entertainment and I'm not even using any of the *arr suite or Usenet to source content so a lot of it is really just doing the same stuff as a decade ago but with better hardware and a more modern UI for media playing and (most importing) a way faster Internet connection.
Anyways, the point I'm making is that nowadays one can actually upgrade a little bit from your setup (which, by the way, is superior to what I had before my Mini-PC upgrade) cheaply and even get themselves very close to the same experience as the corporate stuff (media box with remote and a nice UI to play stuff from a media library) whilst maintaining maximum control and getting no shit from enshittification.
PS: I couldn't recommend more getting a wireless remote if you want to just be able to sit down on your sofa and have a no hassle media box experienced (even whilst behind sits a far more complex home infrastructure that what people who outsource that side of things to the likes of Hulu have). It real helps with having a shit-free under your total control entertainment experience without sacrificing the part of that experience that comes from having a modern interface for media selection.
- Instead of a wireless remote
  Check out Unified Remote app on Play Store or Apple. It's rock steady . Never have issues. It's one of the few apps I've ever paid for.
  Basically control Your desktop from your phone. including text-to-speech for typing. It simply hands down a must have.

"Our'research has determined that we can fill up to 90% of the visual field with advertisements before inducing seizures!"

Corporations all genuinely want to be that guy so fucking bad, just because they think that if they do become him, they might actually starry to finally feel something... anything. Or they think if they become that guy their father might say "I love you " for the first time or some other sad "this is why I'm a serial killer" shit.

Thank you. Came to see if anyone had done this, was not disappointed

do they make you keep watching the ad until you get it right?

Does it delete random pieces of your data if you give it a wrong answer?

No but allegedly, it starts over again
- Seriously? Dystopian shit.
- Jesus fuck.
  I mean, it was inevitable, but it's still grating that it's here, right?

All I know is that Lexus Texas (that is what TX means to me) sounds like the name of a porn star. Is that the message Lexus wanted me to take away from their advertising and branding?

Alexis Texas was so goddamn hot. One of the best asses in porn.

If you answer wrong, what does it do? Refuse to show you any more of the program you are paying them to provide?

Oh wait, I know. It shows another ad, right? That's gotta be it. We'll keep showing you ads until you fucking pay attention!

- Literally anyone who's played an ad supported gatcha game

Next step: political adverts that quiz you on what you've just heard and repeat each segment if you get the answer wrong.

Just kidding though (or am I). This is truly some dystopian shit. My first reaction was what the actual fuck. And I bet you that their numbers aren't really going to hurt that much because of this. Mark my words.

What really grinds my gears, is for every shitty "feature" like this, for every denial of policy or piece of spyware... someone thought it up.
I wonder does anyone ever, in the meeting where this is decided, bring up what a horrible idea it is? I'm sure that person won't have the best career, but has anyone ever seen someone take the bullet?
- Man, I've been to these meetings.
  Shitty MBAs have a shitty idea, and when you go "that's impossible to do / directly against any sane set of values / clearly and plainly very, very illegal", they just go "don't worry about it" and have you do the stupid shit. When it comes crashing down, responsibility is usually distributed like when you take a turd and throw it in a high speed industrial fan, everyone gets a little.
  Then you have a choice between either becoming so jaded and cynical that it's not even funny anymore, or switch jobs. I've had too many jobs.
- Seen from abroad, US companies have always kind of been anti-consumer, but lately they've been super turbo pedal to the metal implementing that shit.
  I guess they want to quickly make as much money as possible in the few years left before everything goes to hell.
Next step: political adverts that quiz you on what you've just heard and repeat each segment if you get the answer wrong.
What are Haitian immigrants eating?
A.) Hot dogs and hamburgers
B.) Tacos
C.) Dogs and cats
D.) Haitian food
We're sorry, the correct answer is C.) Dogs and cats

These companies are insufferable.

Is this real? I'm pretty sure this is ilegal in my country

you must live in one of those real countries I've only read about.
What country and what law?
Quick edit: you know, if Hulu doesn't include anywhere that they do this, it could be seen as additional consideration (in the legal contractual term of the word - basically, what each party provides for the other) in order for Hulu to provide its service that wasn't disclosed.
Of course, that just means we'll get yet another "We updated our terms and while we're at it we're increasing our rates $3/month. Fuck You." email and that's that.
For one you don't have to answer it or anything. Many streaming platforms have been doing this for awhile.
- Not what OP said over on the (now deleted) Reddit post:
  So the ad was supposed to play in that black box and this is a bug?
  I had Bob's Burgers on in the background but was playing a game with my kid. The silence caught my attention, but not at first. At first I assumed it was a, "choose your commercial" thing.
  After some more time I thought maybe it was asking if I was still watching, that's when I looked up to see this
  I waited, nothing. I made a verbal comment and the whole family started looking. We waited, nothing.
  I grabbed my phone, snapped the pic, made the post (but didn't actually post it), and it was still sitting there.
  I guessed an answer, got it right, and the show came back
  Then I hit "post" to actually make the post.
  Some people say it went away on its own. Others say, like me, they had to answer, and others said even after answering it didn't go away
  I've had Bob's Burgers on all morning and I've yet to see this again

What happens if you answer wrong?

You get sent to ad prison for re-education.
- Re-aducation
you do reset if you failed after that, you have to rewatch the film from start

Arrr, what dickery be this "Hulu"?

holy fucking shit and people give me the "you're a bad person" side-eye when i tell them there is such an easy way to never deal with that bullshit ever

That's really odd, I bring up piracy in conversation decently often (usually if I'm talking about a show and someone asks me if that's on Netflix/Prime/Disney+/Hulu or whatever and I have to tell them I haven't a clue)
The reaction had never been judgement, more so curiosity about how I go about my piracy.
Although I guess that's really more of an indication of the poor, anti-capitalist leftist types I tend to associate with than anything else :P

I love when instagram goes: "have you heard about ...?" Presumably asking this as they just showed me an ad about it that i completely ignored and i just go "no i haven't".

The only use of showing me ads is them getting paid and wasting my time. I don't pay attention to them because i either don't need/want it, just bought it or can't afford it.

It's been a long time since i bought something as a result of watching an ad.

The effect of ads is usually not directly linked to a specific product.
If, for example, you need a new box of laundry detergent, you'll go to the supermarket. There you might find brand A, which you've never heard of, or brand B, which had an ad you've seen or heard somewhere. Studies have shown you'll be more likely to buy brand B, because you'll find it more trustworthy, which is because you've heard about it somewhere.
So, a lot of ads aren't solely about a specific product, but also about making their brand perform better in the long run. Therefore, even if an ad is just making noise on the background, it may still have an effect on you. And, since it's a subliminal process, it's extremely difficult to make a concious decision to not buy products you've seen or heard ads of.
- Yeah i'm too weird for ads it seems.
  I just buy whichever has the best price per kg. I make a normale mortal wage i can't afford to get used to such luxuries like paying double to get the Nutella that actually says Nutella on it.
  I feel for everyone who makes an equal wage and doesn't have the ability to see food as fuel.
- Yeah, that’s all true, but I’ve still got 500 things I need to spend money on before buying a Lexus. Ads for luxury cars are wasted on us poors.
- And, since it’s a subliminal process, it’s extremely difficult to make a concious decision to not buy products you’ve seen or heard ads of.
  Instead, I make a conscious decision to not buy products I remember seeing or hearing ads of. If you're using subtle product placement to subliminally manipulate me in a way I don't notice, good for you. If it's obvious enough I remember you doing it then I will not buy your product unless it is already the best deal available (aka the cheapest per unit or best quality per price, excepting products I have had a bad experience with).

🏴‍☠️

Dropped Hulu so very long ago.

🏴‍☠️

Full refund.

They went full ret*rd, I want full refund.
(I know you can cuss on the internet, but that word has some baggage...)
- Je suis en retard aujourd'hui
- That baggage still exists even if you leave out one of the letters.

Capitalism's going well...

nightmare

This is where we're headed:

Headed? Were already there.

Some kind of thing US people are reduced to using because their tv has become such a joke.
Of course, now it's become the new playground of the corpos. Can't have the plebs wasting their leisure time without the important people getting some profit after all.

Hey Hulu, how many masts on my full-rigged ship?

I genuinely don’t understand why people still use Hulu when you can watch the same shit in better bitrate with no ads and no subscription

We’re not even talking about a Plex server or anything just freakin stream it off the 1000 trusted sources

The liberal mind is full of mysteries

So uh. Just wanna get your input here.
What single detail stands out to you as "liberal" here?
I'm sure I'll be fascinated by your answer.
- It's an .ml user if you don't jump through their hoops then you're not a real leftist and they'll call you a "liberal" like they're a fucking MAGAt.

Arrrrrhhhhhh

Hulu does this thing sometimes where you can choose which ad you want if two videos. Usually there is a timer to pick a default for you. I don't see a timer on the screen, but I'm still wondering if Lexus is using that feature for this ad. Did it not progress until you selected something?

The right side of the screen is suspiciously out of frame. Is that where the timer usually is?
- I think it usually is, but I haven't seen very many of these and I try to ignore ads as a form of protest lol.

Your entertainment area looks lovely.

Yo ho yo ho

Despicable

I'm pretty sure they used to do this, at least a hundred years ago, way back when companies first realised that there's endless free real estate for adverts on the internet. Always wondered why they stopped.

Can you continue to watch your show without answering? Or are you forced to watch the commercial and answenthe question to continue?

I mean, it's fine if they're doing research on the commercials themselves, and the answers show how much or little people actually pay attention. But if you can't continue your show without the right answer, that's a problem.

2 minute ad slot who? Even if it does "let you continue", I left my TV on to watch it not interact. YouTube does this shit where it will hand out a 30 MINUTE ad because nobody has interacted to skip after a few ads. It's slippery slope bullshit all the way through.
- 30 minutes? I got a 24 hour ad one time, during the pandemic. It was this trippy art video thing where worms were eating the universe. Or something. I don't know, but it was animated in a hand drawn style.
  Those were strange times
- Look, ads are how they pay the bills. We wouldn't have ads if they'd set their prices in a way that allowed them to make a profit, which is how businesses function. They are businesses, after all, not charities.
  They underpriced their services, and lost money for as long as they could, hoping they'd somehow "win" the Steaming Wars. I absolutely detest having commercials on something I already pay for, but it's how it's going to be because they lost money for so long.
  So a commercial is one thing, but a commercial that quizzes me to see if I paid attention is a completely different entity altogether. That's the part of the whole equation that would be too much.

That image is 100% the academic quadrangle at Simon Fraser University. Hah.