Fairfax: We now recognise some people find autoplay video intrusive and we’re dropping it
Fairfax Media is to drop its controversial use of autoplay video.
Fairfax Digital’s commercial director of media Ed Harrison told Mumbrella: “We’ll be doing it over the next few months. We’ll be moving to exciting new video formats.”
Fairfax Media has previously argued that autoplay videos were welcomed by most users.
Last year Fairfax Digital’s MD of media Pippa Leary said: “What’s amazing is 75% of people who come to the site watch those videos to completion. We test it constantly. We ask them those questions – overwhelmingly they come back and say no, we prefer to stop it.”
WTF… it is toggle to turn autoplay off NOW, why the delay.
As for “some” people, show me anyone that liked the autoplay ads.
Awesome news.
I’m no technical science laboratorian, but I don’t understand why it will take a few months to turn off.
These morons running the show should apologise to Pippa.
They put her out there as a scape goat, (edited under Mumbrella’s comemnt moderation policy)
Two words: adblock.
Apparently this is the reason – clients had already forward booked the auto-play video format up until Sept.
It’ll take time because of contractual restraints. “Months” means even Fairfax was testing the water. If they do it now, they’ll have their bottoms sued into the middle of next century.
I doubt Fairfax will ever grasp the full knowledge of the damage this did it’s brand. A strong theme has developed toward entering this type of abuse/invasion into privacy laws.
Imagine being accosted by a sales person every time you browsed another item in a store. Thank goodness for click through ads. At least I can join the millions who click, click, click static ads simply to cost the annoying critters money.
Oh Fairfax! From Investigative journalism to fake watches in your overcoat.
About darn time!
Great. Now lets work on stopping involuntary homepage takeover display ads and we might be able to gain control back of our user experience!
Bitter and Twisted, if all major publishers stopped the homepage takeovers, they would have to look at making that money some other way – perhaps a pay wall???
I’d rather watch a flashy ad on The Age homepage than pay a monthly fee for access to content.
Thank goodness!
These things were the reason I installed ad blocking software. I dont mind the ads on my iPhone. They don’t move or make noises.
Les Wood abides
“What’s amazing is 75% of people who come to the site watch those videos to completion.”
Yeah, I’m going to go out a small limb here and assume that most people scroll down to, you know, READ the article, and wold just turn the sound off or something as soon as they hear the video playing (and let’s face it, it begins with an bloody ad many times), rather then bother scrolling back UP to find the pause button.
Hence they’re not ACTUALLY watching it to completion, Fairfax. They’re just begrudgingly letting it roll on, off screen.
Anyone else got any thoughts about this?
I agree Caitlan, and ask they show us the proof anyone is actually watching these annoying intrusions to the end. Should not they be opt in rather than opt out?
Farewell the Fairfax foie gras! It cannot happen soon enough!
Autoplay video ads are an overambitious intrusion that demonstrates a complete lack of respect for the individuals who visit the website.
Thank you Fairfax for listening to the people….at last.
Shows how fast acting FD are – advertisers and agencies have had issues with this since it started in mid 2009 … at this rate we might see the end of auto refresh in 2014!
Slow down guys!
@Caitlin I think most of the time it’s accidentialy activated via mouse over and it’s sometimes difficult to close it down before it finishes playing, as the close button is not always easy to find.
Other point is that users open a new tab and the auto play continues in the background but the user has moved onto something else…
I would say that’s the only way they could have got 75% watch rates..
Mumbrella deserves hearty congratulations for its excellent coverage of this scandalous situation where advertisers were being cheated in full public view by a supposedly respectable media company.
Loved the line from the Fairfax exec:
“It’s fair to say that our discussions with agencies helped shape our thoughts.
I bet it did.
Well done.
Thank God! I had stopped looking at their videos as I hated the enforced adverts. Show me ANYONE who allegedly liked the setup. Lies.
THANK GOD.
@Andrew Landeryou, Mumbrella isn’t the only one deserving of a pat on the back. Adnews found out first and broke the story exclusively on their website.
http://www.adnews.com.au/news/.....s-autoplay
Fairfax are quite simply cowboys. When you scroll to the beginning of an article you lose site of the vid. If you have your set up on mute you play the ad and vid from beginning to end without knowing. Only crooks would allow this to happen on their website. Cowboy crooks, unethical and ‘un Australian’
Happy Easter
@ Amy – is that foie gras or faux pas? I’m trying to draw links between duck liver and autoplay ads…