Unskippable ads are annoying, right? My fellow British YouTube watchers have probably heard enough of the Just Eat ads to last a lifetime. But at least you don't actually have to pay attention to them, right?
Well, thanks to MoviePass rearing its controversial head once more, we might not be able to say that for much longer. The MoviePass 2.0 app is set to launch this summer, and will sustain itself using microcurrency and ads. However, unlike ads on any other platform, you will be forced to actually watch them, as they'll only play when your eyes are looking at the screen.
MoviePass 2.0 was explained in a presentation yesterday by CEO Stacy Spikes, with Tom's Guide providing an overview of how it will work. Rather than just pay a monthly subscription as you would with the previous iteration of the app, this time you can earn virtual currency to spend on films. You earn these tokens by watching ads, with your phone's camera making sure you're actually paying attention to them.
There seems to be no information on how this will work with those who wear glasses, or people with disabilities. Presumably, the phone will have to be held to your face while the ad is playing, rather than propped up on a table away from you. Not every user will have the strength or dexterity to hold their phone to their face long enough for ads to play out. Users with Nystagmus may find that the software is unable to detect their rapid eye movements.
Stacy Spikes is remaining tight-lipped on the pricing, but there will be tiered subscription plans. It is not known if everyone will have to sit through the dystopian ad integration regardless of their tier, but it would solve the original MoviePass' biggest problem from a business standpoint. With a flat rate of $10 a month, and users able to watch up to three films in that time, the service would only make money if users forgot about their membership and didn't use it as intended. Which they didn't. Under the new system, MoviePass can continue to monetize its users even if they're vexing enough to actually use the service they pay for.
MoviePass 2.0 is set to go live this summer, if you feel like diving headfirst into a late-stage capitalist nightmare.