8 ms·

Cable TV ads aren't a hypertargeting/surveillance nightmare.

RonToaster 3y ago
Yes they are, depending on factors like network, location or industry you can target specific demographics or use crossmarketing
- foobarian 3y ago
  Even if they aren't we got swindled into cutting the cord so the old user-blind platform can be quietly retired.
  - SllX 3y ago
    Swindled you say. When I look at my monthly video entertainment spend vs a cable bill from my childhood (let alone what it would be today), the quality and options available and the control over scheduling I have vs linear television, I’m not feeling very swindled.
fidotron 3y ago
They are, and have been for years. Cable TV programming, by which I mean deciding what is broadcast on what channel when, has long (decades) been a question of identifying the audience for the ads coming in, working out what they want to see, showing it, and billing the advertiser. You may even create whole new channels for this target group. Most consumers get it backwards thinking ads exist to fund channels - channels only exist to show you ads. Even back in around 2000 in the UK satellite market (which relied on modems in STBs phoning home as the backchannel) the granularity and segmentation of the data backing this was amazing. Unsurprisingly the people I knew in that universe went on to build the current web ad universe.
- Dylan16807 3y ago
  > identifying the audience for the ads coming in, working out what they want to see, showing it, and billing the advertiser. You may even create whole new channels for this target group. That's broad targeting. Miles away from hypertargeting/surveillance. > back in around 2000 in the UK satellite market (which relied on modems in STBs phoning home as the backchannel) That is a problem, but is also not cable TV. Are cable modems phoning home?
  - fidotron 3y ago
    Next up you will be confused that store loyalty cards have been marketing analytics the whole time.
    - Dylan16807 3y ago
      Do you really need to be an ass instead of just saying yes or no with some proof? For most of the existence of cable, there was no way for it to send a signal back. It is not fundamentally based on tracking. The targeting you described in detail is not tracking.
      - fidotron 3y ago
        I mean you simply went off showing you don’t know what you are talking about, then ask a stupidly basic question and when it gets the snarky answer it warranted claim the other person is an ass?
        Dylan16807 3y ago
        My bigger point was that cable didn't have that for most of that time, and you're ignoring that to nitpick one line. The answer to that question doesn't affect the rest of my comment. It doesn't show I don't know what I'm talking about, you're just being rude. Especially since the correct answer is probably "some of them". I was hoping you could be more specific, since you're doing your best to give an impression of knowledge but not doing much to share it. And your store loyalty remark was objectively being an ass, that comment adds no value to the conversation at all.

Yes they are, depending on factors like network, location or industry you can target specific demographics or use crossmarketing

foobarian 3y ago
Even if they aren't we got swindled into cutting the cord so the old user-blind platform can be quietly retired.
- SllX 3y ago
  Swindled you say. When I look at my monthly video entertainment spend vs a cable bill from my childhood (let alone what it would be today), the quality and options available and the control over scheduling I have vs linear television, I’m not feeling very swindled.

fidotron 3y ago

They are, and have been for years. Cable TV programming, by which I mean deciding what is broadcast on what channel when, has long (decades) been a question of identifying the audience for the ads coming in, working out what they want to see, showing it, and billing the advertiser. You may even create whole new channels for this target group. Most consumers get it backwards thinking ads exist to fund channels - channels only exist to show you ads. Even back in around 2000 in the UK satellite market (which relied on modems in STBs phoning home as the backchannel) the granularity and segmentation of the data backing this was amazing. Unsurprisingly the people I knew in that universe went on to build the current web ad universe.

Dylan16807 3y ago
> identifying the audience for the ads coming in, working out what they want to see, showing it, and billing the advertiser. You may even create whole new channels for this target group. That's broad targeting. Miles away from hypertargeting/surveillance. > back in around 2000 in the UK satellite market (which relied on modems in STBs phoning home as the backchannel) That is a problem, but is also not cable TV. Are cable modems phoning home?
- fidotron 3y ago
  Next up you will be confused that store loyalty cards have been marketing analytics the whole time.
  - Dylan16807 3y ago
    Do you really need to be an ass instead of just saying yes or no with some proof? For most of the existence of cable, there was no way for it to send a signal back. It is not fundamentally based on tracking. The targeting you described in detail is not tracking.
    - fidotron 3y ago
      I mean you simply went off showing you don’t know what you are talking about, then ask a stupidly basic question and when it gets the snarky answer it warranted claim the other person is an ass?
      - Dylan16807 3y ago
        My bigger point was that cable didn't have that for most of that time, and you're ignoring that to nitpick one line. The answer to that question doesn't affect the rest of my comment. It doesn't show I don't know what I'm talking about, you're just being rude. Especially since the correct answer is probably "some of them". I was hoping you could be more specific, since you're doing your best to give an impression of knowledge but not doing much to share it. And your store loyalty remark was objectively being an ass, that comment adds no value to the conversation at all.