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And here’s what happens when stupid watermarks are too big…

A Promo fail on ELEVEN last night...

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We can’t read the subtitles!

Yes ELEVEN sometimes shows actually have subtitles for foreign language, as American Horror Story did last night.

Seriously it’s 2015, subtitles are not new. This is Promo 101.

Watermarks used to be translucent for a reason.

As Alfagirl wrote in the TV Lounge: “I am currently watching American Horror Story Hotel but my enjoyment is being impeded by the massive 11 watermark and the advertising for Madame Secretary next to it. The start of the episode had subtitles which were partially obscured by the ad and watermark so I couldn’t read whole sentences. It’s driving me nuts. It’s 13cm wide.”

54 Responses

  1. In regards to edits TEN advises:

    “There were elements of the show that were rated ‘R’ therefore they were edited. We are not allowed to show ‘R’ rated content in a 9.30pm timeslot, actually in any timeslot for that matter.

    “No commercial network is allowed to broadcast any ‘R’ rated programs, nor have they ever been allowed to.”

    1. Yes I thought there were edits, It was pretty obvious. FX in the USA gave the episode an MA rating uncut though and I would have thought an AV rating would have been sufficent for an uncut episode to be shown.

  2. I remember a few years ago when Nine were promoting Australia’s Got Talent coming soon – the length of the title on the water mark literally took half the bottom of the screen – think I still have a picture of that somewhere!

  3. I recorded this to watch later, guess I won’t bother now. I’ll delete it and watch through other means. Would the Tenplay version be edited also? Ten now have unedited versions of B&B available online.

    1. B&B is still edited on TenPlay. TEN only put a handful of unedited episodes up during Aly’s murder storyline. If the episode runs shorter than 21mins it’s edited.

  4. I Too hate these annoying Big Watermarks when I watch Neighbours on Sunday Afternoon there is always a huge Watermark advertising something coming up soon on 10 and as for Gem I hate that annoying Red Watermark I wish the stations would stop doing them so big

  5. Yes, I watched AHS last night and the subtitles were very hard to read, and the watermark was very annoying. The other thing that annoyed me about the AHS broadcast last night was that in a few scenes you could clearly tell that it had been censored from it’s original broadcast in the USA.

      1. Thanks David, would you be kind enough to post their reply. I am pretty sure they cut out some bits when Lady Gaga came on screen for the 1st time and the sex scene.

      1. The run time on Eleven was 57 minutes. They cut bits of the rape scene, the orgy scene and the scene where Lady Gaga cuts one of the Swedish girls throats.

    1. I think you mean “much, anymore”. They tried it, people complained – and, more to the point, stopped watching – and they stopped. Mostly – you still see it occasionally when they figure a new show is just so amazing that you _must_ be told about it.

      The next thing to look forward to (I hope David will excuse the http-less link) : variety.com/2015/tv/news/in-gambit-usa-disrupts-its-own-shows-to-hype-new-series-1201440358/

      One difference is that, in the US, production companies are relatively powerful. Here, the networks have almost all the power as to what flies & what doesn’t…

  7. A few weeks back, but I dare say at many other times too, a scene in a show of a package being opened was obscured by the ridiculous red showering Bachelor or Bachelorette (which Spell Check insists is not a real word, it should be Spinster) pop-up. What was in the package was crucial to the whole program, but it was totally covered up but TEN’s pop-up graffiti.

  8. Honestly – these promo bugs would be more effective if that animated on, stayed for 10 seconds – then animated off. Draws your eye – you read it – then disappear.

  9. The watermark I hate is the one on GEM regional, on ch80 it’s pink while on ch90 in the Nine areas its white and translucent, why aren’t they are same? Ch80 please get rid of that awful pink channel logo!

    1. I used to watch movies on GEM (those that weren’t being repeated for the 20th time this year) but the hideous bright pink WIN GEM logo is ridiculous, and I don’t watch anymore. Reading Bruce?

  11. The Govt has a “hands off” approach to this annoyance, no point in complaining to them, I’ve tried. A mouse pad propped up against my TV screen fails to cover some watermarks and I’m defeated by gravity with the SBS logo at the top of the screen. I’m hoping to find a media player box that can blank parts of the screen.

  12. I tuned in to AHS and concur with everyone else re the intrusive watermarks. Bad enough the 11 logo was on throughout the entire show – except during the ads of course- but that Madame Secretary watermark was just too much.
    And to add insult to injury – there were a number of pop up ads for Madame Secretary as well as the normal ads for it.

    I won’t be watching AHS any more and will definitely not watch Madame Secretary.

    I will find another way to watch these two shows – but definitely won’t be watching Ten or Eleven.

  13. The abc shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to ridiculous watermarks. Recently during offsiders they have added a massive watermark on the top right hand corner saying offsiders. It almost takes up a qtr of the screen. Then if your watching offsiders on catchup there are two abc logos on the bottom right hand corner that don’t quite align. Surely one is enough. I haven’t watched last Sundays offsiders yet and I’m considering giving offsiders the flick because the watermarks distract too much from the actual show.

    1. Offsiders, and ABC News logos on some interviews, are not for the usual reasons. As other networks often lift clips from ABC programs and news ABC want to be sure the source is identified on other networks, but yes, is still annoying.

      1. Have you seen how big the offsiders watermark is? The only one bigger I’ve seen is that first on 9 one during the news where the watermark blocks the entire screen.

  15. Hate watermarks. Last night, during the opening of Homeland, credits were also obscured by oversized watermark on TEN. No wonder people download these programs. When will the networks wake up – its the 21st Century.

  18. This annoyed me so much last night so I’m glad other people had similar feelings. It’s bad enough when it blocks out the actors’ names after the opening credits, but to actually impact on viewers’ ability to follow the storyline is ridiculous.

  19. This affectsThe Living Room all the time. When they were promoting IACGMOOH it was at its worst but it still happens occasionally. Quite often during segments captions come up about products and you can’t read them because of the watermark. Very frustrating!

  20. It was so annoying we stopped watching (on delay). I went on their facebook page to complain and then read so many viewers saying it had be censored to shreds! Think I’ll wait for Netflix, Ten/Eleven! Why are you butchering a show at 9.30pm?

  21. Thanks for covering this issue David. TEN can’t get their watermarks across their 3 channels correct. They need to fix ELEVEN and ONE’s watermark, to match TEN’s watermark. Do a comparison. They’re all different dimensions, different levels of opaqueness, and are sitting in different positions of the 16:9 frame (they need to be sitting right on the edge, ELEVEN and ONE’s isn’t). There’s no attention to detail anymore. Programming watermarks like Madam Secretary doesn’t need to be seen full-time, there was once upon a time it was only seen for 60 seconds after returning from an ad break. They’re also too big and too opaque.

  24. Ten is by far the worst offender in regards to these absolutely f****ing huge annoying watermarks. Sorry about the language but the red mist descends whenever this topic comes up. How the hell do networks think this is a good form of advertsiing. It just makes me not want to watch the show being advertised to be honest. There has to be an investigation into this because it is getting out of control.

  25. So silly. Madam Secretary (old skewing) drama on Ten would not even be of interest of those watching AHS on 11. If you are going to promo a show – promo one your audience is going to be interested in

    2. That’s obvious to us, Russell, but Aus commercial FTA networks don’t employ people who can think logically in their programming or promo depts.

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