This topic

No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

BillyM — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 14:42:10 GMT

just had a message pop up announcing this change.

ITV in Internet Mode

When you watch live and recorded ITV shows in internet mode you can no longer fast forward through adverts, just like the ITVX app. You’ll still be able to pause, fast forward and rewind ITV shows, but you won’t be able to fast forward through the adverts.

https://www.bt.com/help/tv/modes

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Midnight_Voice — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:00:48 GMT

@BillyM

Even if you are subscribing not to have ads on itvX?

Surely that ought to let you skip ads when playing recordings, as being equivalent to On Demand?

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Weerab1983 — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:07:16 GMT

The following message has been pinned about this today https://community.bt.com/t5/YouView-from-BT/BT-TV-Status-Changes-to-prevent-skipping-of-adverts-on-ITV/td-p/2284190

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

zulu17 — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:09:59 GMT

A couple of questions

1 does this apply to ITV recordings made before 6 November or only on recordings from 6 November ?

2. If I use the jump facility on a ITV recording eg type 7 to go 70% into the recording do I get forced to watch every advert break that occurs from the beginning of the recording to that point.

3. Will ITV X be updated to HD ?

4. Will ITV X FAST channels be introduced ?

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

garybs29 — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:35:09 GMT

Also for those of us in scotland (& NI actually) does it affect STV/UTV too?

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Weerab1983 — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:53:51 GMT

HD and the FAST channels would be great.

Maybe this change is relating to an ITVx upgrade on you view as I can now get FAST channels on my TVs where I use Freeview play, but both of these TVs are Hisense.

I have a JVC TV (which I cannot wait to get rid of at some point) that I will check if FAST channels are playable on.

I am not sure if STV recodings would be included as I live in Scotland.

ITV2, 3 and 4 recordings would be included I am guessing.

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Simonsaysso — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 00:35:44 GMT

How much are ITV paying BT to do this? It's a recording, there's no reason for BT to get involved, nothing to do with ITV. Tell them to get lost. They've sold themselves out. No different to recording onto a seperate hard drive or sticking in a VHS.

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Brucemeister5 — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 07:50:58 GMT

@Simonsaysso I assume that ITV would be able to insist upon this as a condition of supplying their channels in IP mode, but I’m sure that someone from BT will confirm that. We’ve gone back to aerial mode and were able to record 6 channels simultaneously a couple of weeks ago ( 4 aerial channels and 2 internet channels). As others have said, ITVX needs to be improved and I hope that will happen as from Monday too.

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

StewM — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 09:23:16 GMT

If this is to “align with the behaviour of ITV X”, then ITVX offer a premium subscription with no adverts - are BT going to offer such a dual pricing? If not, then this is a diluting of the BT TV offering. When other providers introduced advertising, they offered different pricing packages.

Stew

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 10:21:41 GMT

@StewMwrote:
If this is to “align with the behaviour of ITV X”, then ITVX offer a premium subscription with no adverts - are BT going to offer such a dual pricing? If not, then this is a diluting of the BT TV offering. When other providers introduced advertising, they offered different pricing packages.
Stew

Agreed.

Unless the itvX app on BT TV is upgraded to allow customers to subscribe to the full premium version, then this is just yet another reason not to choose BT/EE TV compared to other platforms.

I suspect itvX will be updated at some point to enable the premium service to be purchased, but if my box was in use, I would be plugging the aerial back in at this news.

Quick reminder for anyone that can access it, itv1, 2, 3, 4 are all in HD and free to air on satellite.

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

nickmorc — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 10:32:16 GMT

Oh well, back to aerial mode we go.

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

terry821 — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 13:21:03 GMT

This is disappointing to read.

I’m also going back to aerial mode now, not only does the IP mode not have UKTV channels we’ve now essentially lost the ITV channels too as they become unwatchable due to imposed adverts.

another nail in the coffin for BT TV

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

JohnHatter — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 19:03:24 GMT

I’m plugging the aerial back in too

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Hunter2660 — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 19:17:16 GMT

I wonder how they're going to do this. Maybe there's some kind of "flag" during the ad breaks to stop you. Interesting. I'll be having a dabble to see what happens on Monday. If their ad break "flag" is as good as there accurate recording "flag", I can see it being a total disaster. 😂

On the subject of ITVX. I took out their premium subscription last January at £3.99. Thought I'd cancel as I didn't really use it, and was offered £2.99 for three months. So if you also took out the same offer last year, I suggest you go through the cancellation process at the end of your year and see if you get the same offer... Worth a try. 😎

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 19:38:36 GMT

Like others the aerial will be plugged back in, the whole point of recording a programme is to watch advert free. 🤭... .

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

zulu17 — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 21:57:59 GMT

@Hunter2660 If ITV and Youview/BT can develop technology to identify when adverts start and finish then surely they can identify when a program starts and finish so can we expect recordings to be full and complete. If not could someone explain the difference between accurately identifying when an advert is being shown and when a program is being shown.

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Midnight_Voice — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 22:46:21 GMT

@zulu17

I would imagine that itv are going to put a flag in the metadata to indicate when ads are being shown, and that BT have had to agree to respect this flag and not allow fast forwarding to start while this flag is set, if they are to be granted the feed for the IP channels.

Something like, and actually a lot simpler than, the TA mechanism on car radios.

For programme duration, the IP channels must be using something very close to the Present/Following triggers that tell the broadcast side when programmes start and stop (or more accurately, when the box should regard programmes as starting and stopping, whether they actually do or not).

This needs central control for all channels.

So no easier, if no harder, to get right than they are now. But remember, the P/F doesn’t just go out on the channel it is for; every P/F, carrying its channel number, has to go out on every channel, so a box, not currently tuned to a channel it is scheduled to start recording on, will see the P/F for the channel it must now retune to, recognise the series and programme CRIDS, and make the switch.

The ad thing will be a lot simpler, and the channel provider will have a strong incentive to get it right, if they are to get the ad revenue they seek 😛

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Marc1969 — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 23:30:29 GMT

Considering going back over to aerial mode,would be reluctant as I’m in a freeview light area.This could backfire as people may just pick up their phone or go proper old school and go make a cup of tea.Generally,I think people don’t have time for adverts.

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

terry821 — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 23:52:31 GMT

Oh not bother watching the channels!

Re: No more fast forwarding through the adverts for ITV recordings in IP mode

Midnight_Voice — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 08:53:59 GMT

@Hunter2660

When you have your dabble, try backing up a minute or so before the ads, and then fast forwarding, as it ought to be that when you have a fast forward going, that won’t stop for adverts. Though they may be clever enough to catch you having a short run up.

Though the annoyance will probably still be that it’s Skip, not Fast Forward, that is/was the best way to get through ads, and one Skip usually won’t get you all the way past the ads.