Source: The Verge
Summary
The Alliance for Open Media, a group consisting of major streaming companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google, is working on a new standard to calibrate the volume of streaming ads. The goal is to reduce the jarring experience of loud ads on streaming services. The standard aims to ensure that ads are played at a similar volume to the content. The group has been testing the new standard with various streaming services and ad providers.
Our Reading
The announcement sounds ambitious.
A new standard for streaming ad volume is being developed. Because, apparently, it’s 2023 and we’re still dealing with loud ads. The Alliance for Open Media is on the case, because what the world really needed was another tech consortium. The new standard will probably work, but only until the next “innovation” in ad tech comes along.
Author: Evan Null
Same Old, Same Old
The idea of regulating ad volume isn’t new. It’s been a problem for decades, and it’s surprising it’s taken this long for the industry to address it.
Calibrating the Obvious
The Alliance for Open Media’s new standard aims to ensure that ads are played at a similar volume to the content. Because, apparently, this wasn’t already a thing.
Testing the Obvious
The group has been testing the new standard with various streaming services and ad providers. One can only assume this testing involved a lot of loud noises and confused looks.
A Solution to a Problem We Already Knew How to Solve
The new standard will probably work, but it’s hard to get excited about a solution to a problem that’s been around for so long. Maybe next they’ll tackle the issue of ads being annoying.
Progress?
The Alliance for Open Media’s effort is a step in the right direction, but it’s hard to see it as anything more than a minor tweak to the status quo. Maybe one day we’ll have ads that are actually enjoyable. But probably not.
