Tailored advertising with Sky AdSmart

[Scubbie]

Tailored advertising with Sky AdSmart | Sky Help

We’re always looking for ways to use new technology to help you make the most of your Sky subscription, which is why we’re introducing Sky AdSmart.

How it works

Sky AdSmart is a service that allows us to tailor the advertising we present to you when watching content on Sky. Based on information you have provided to us as a Sky subscriber (such as post code or TV package) some adverts will be substituted with more relevant ones, so you should see more of the products and services you’re interested in and less of the things you’re not.

For example, if you already have Sky Broadband, we’ll make sure we don’t show you a TV advert for it. Therefore, while other Sky homes will see the Sky Broadband ad, you may see an ad for an upcoming drama series on Sky 1 instead. Other examples might include seeing more adverts for companies which are located in the local area such as local car dealerships, theme parks or shopping centres, or if we know a Sky household has children, they may see more adverts for family cars.

How we use your information

We’re always open and transparent about how we use our customers’ information and have included information about the changes we have made to support the new service in our Privacy Notice. Our Privacy Notice gives customers more information about how we collect and use their information. You can find our Privacy Notice here.

Customer marketing preferences

If you do not want your information to be used for tailored advertising, you can opt out at any time by following the steps below.

1. Sign in to the Personalisation preferences section of My Sky using your Sky iD.
2. Uncheck the box alongside "Yes, I would like to receive personalised services" and press save to opt-out.

[Isitme]

Uncheck the box alongside "Yes, I would like to receive personalised services" and press save to opt-out.

This appears to be an 'opt in', at least mine was as the box was unchecked. Worth checking if yours is or not.

[Meteosat]

This appears to be an 'opt in', at least mine was as the box was unchecked. Worth checking if yours is or not.

Many thanks - I've checked now - for me it was an opt-out service - if service is the right word! So have foregone that privilege.
Cheers

[Scubbie]

Hmmm... as frightening as this may at first appear, AdSmart isn't actually too bad.

Whilst I can't go into detail at the present time, please do Google the term for more information. When the details are finalised we hope to post something for everyone about how it works. The advertising companies are finding this potentially exciting though.

Here is another useful page to read: Sky AdSmart

In the above link you can also see the kind of information which is being used.

I did make a post over the weekend about one such advert which will be coming to some STBs soon:

http://www.skyuser.co.uk/forum/enter...vertising.html

However there are some important restrictions over how Sky gain the information about you, more on this when we have this information available. I don't believe that they will be speaking with the NSA or GCHQ in order to get too much information either.

Now that more is known about it in the public, there are some news pages printing more information on the topic. One example:

The implications of BSkyB's AdSmart for cost, quality and competition | Media Network | theguardian.com

The arrival of the personalised advertising platform could change the TV ad model, pave the way for local TV ads and cause Virgin Media a headache

As ground-breaking developments in the world of TV advertising go, news of BSkyB's targeted advertising technology was fairly low key.

Tacked on another announcement, it was easy to miss that this summer, Sky will rollout AdSmart, allowing UK TV advertisers to personalise ads on linear TV for the first time. Specially targeted ads will be sent to Sky+HD set-top boxes and, based on subscriber information, ads will be inserted into live broadcast streams.

[Meteosat]

Words like edge, end, thin, and wedge come to mind too readily. Just wait until they tie up the advertising with WHAT you watch ;-)

[Saturday]

Seems to me a sad state of affairs that anyone can see "tailored ads" as a good thing. I loathe ads and don't want to see any ad - ever. I particularly resent them appearing in paid for subscriptions.

Thanks to adblock and the like my PC screens are ad free (when I see other people's ad strewn screens I can't believe they put up with it) and with fast forward and downloads I can just about avoid them on TV too. Even so, I don't watch a large number of channels in the Sky epg because the massive, bright and often moving "channel idents", permanently on screen, wind me up.

Anyone watched Spanish TV in Spain recently? Often half the screen is taken up with adverts while the program is still on! Then they cut to a 15 minute commercial break 5 minutes before the program/film end. I've got a feeling we're headed in the same direction.

/end of grumpy rant

[totalwar]

Hmmmm pay over £100 for my sky sub per month do I want any ads on my sky a big nooooooooooooo.

[Isitme]

I don't think they are talking about extra adverts, only more local content in what you do get.

[dog-man]

I always fast forward through adverts as most of what I watch is recorded.

[Isitme]

The fast forward symbol on my remote is completely worn away.