Another one bites the dust...

mjm3346

Chyna-s wrote: »

We should make it clear that we only watch their programme for the free online competition. Once viewing figures fall off, they will soon re-introduce it.

Unless you are one of the "measured" households it makes no difference to the viewing figures if you watch or not.




The Act favours postal as a free entry route in so far as it is always acceptable when web may not be. (my bolding)

that communication is either:
[FONT=Courier New,Courier New][FONT=Courier New,Courier New]o [/FONT][/FONT]a letter sent by ordinary post, again whether first or second class post
[FONT=Courier New,Courier New][FONT=Courier New,Courier New]o [/FONT][/FONT]or some other method which is neither more expensive nor less convenient than entering by the paid route. Again this method must be charged at the ‘normal rate’; there can be no additional payment over what it would normally cost to use that method of communication

As an example, many people do not have ready access to the internet at home. Although, for many of those that do, use of it costs nothing in the sense that they pay a single amount for access and nothing for subsequent use, others cannot access it, at least quickly. A competition which offers an alternative ‘free’ entry route via the web may not offer substantial proportions of those who wish to enter a genuine choice or at the very least that alternative may not be as convenient for them as the paid route.

where any doubts exist as to whether the web entry arrangements in any particular case fully satisfy the Act’s requirements, other routes, for example by post that has been specifically sanctioned by Parliament, should be offered in addition

If the Act was amended to require a freepost address to be offered for postal entries they would drop them in a second and so would all the other broadcasters who use it (or if they didn't it wouldn't matter as postal would then actually be free).

Really the Act should be updated to reflect that the vast majority of people now have access to the internet and postal is less convenient so web should be the default free route with postal as an additional entry method.




http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/prize%20competitions%20and%20free%20draws%20-%20the%20requirements%20of%20the%20gambling%20act%202005%20-%20december%202009.pdf

tgroom57

Chyna-s wrote: »

We should make it clear that we only watch their programme for the free online competition. Once viewing figures fall off, they will soon re-introduce it.

Not viewing figures, but visits to the website will drop like a stone. No more selling advertising space on a page that's guaranteed a gazillion views in the next 2 weeks.

Painkiller

mjm3346 wrote: »

Unless you are one of the "measured" households it makes no difference to the viewing figures if you watch or not.

The Act favours postal as a free entry route in so far as it is always acceptable when web may not be. (my bolding)

If the Act was amended to require a freepost address to be offered for postal entries they would drop them in a second and so would all the other broadcasters who use it (or if they didn't it wouldn't matter as postal would then actually be free).

Really the Act should be updated to reflect that the vast majority of people now have access to the internet and postal is less convenient so web should be the default free route with postal as an additional entry method.

http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/prize%20competitions%20and%20free%20draws%20-%20the%20requirements%20of%20the%20gambling%20act%202005%20-%20december%202009.pdf

I've already been in touch with my MP regarding this and it has been forwarded to the Helen Grant MP Minister for Sport & Tourism.

I suggest other people contact their local MP too if they want to suggest an amendment to the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure that a free entry route is actually free, rather than being no more expensive than normal rate fees.

2nd Class stamps were 21p in 2005.

mjm3346

tgroom57 wrote: »

Not viewing figures, but visits to the website will drop like a stone. No more selling advertising space on a page that's guaranteed a gazillion views in the next 2 weeks.

They tried to make money off web entries with the playcapatchas and all the third party competitions they added but will not have been helped by the "avoid the capatcha routes" (their fault) which allowed auto entries, adblockers and multiple views per ip address which will have resulted in the number of unique actual views being far below the total page views.

mjm3346

As noted by fire**fly in this thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5052077

they now allow 37 entries per number instead of 6.

The way the calls are charged for has changed so for the same total cost (approx £6) people can now get 7 calls/entries instead of 6, isn't that nice of them.


Although as they now allow so many more calls the maximum total call cost per number has risen from the previous £6 to £30, not so nice.

clauski

Painkiller wrote: »

... and X Factor has gone aswell.

It looks like that's it for free online entries into ITV competitions..

ITV CEO Adam Crozier's email address [EMAIL="adam.crozier@itv.com"]adam.crozier@itv.com
[/EMAIL]

Who of course once ran the Royal Mail. Obviously helping out some of his old buddies there with the switch to mail entries!

Painkiller

Confirmation that Good Morning Britain, the last show to offer free online entries, has now switched to postal;

T&Cs for next week

mjm3346

Not surprising when their annual report for 2014 has this even though the time covered in the report will still have had free entry for one or more of the competitions.

Interactive revenue was up £4 million due to higher income from competitions.

I saw a poll where approx 80% of people who just entered on-line would stop but the rest would enter by other methods.
Obviously raising the number of entries allowed and people switching to the pay routes covers far more more than the additional mail handling costs for postal entries.

andrew71

I've previously commented on this on another thread. Regarding postal entries are some staff physically entering the details of every postcard/Self adrress envelope they receive? Are they scanned and entered directly into a database?

mjm3346

andrew71 wrote: »

I've previously commented on this on another thread. Regarding postal entries are some staff physically entering the details of every postcard/Self adrress envelope they receive? Are they scanned and entered directly into a database?

The postal address used in Derby is for a company that handles competitions from various sites and not just ITV - presumably that's much cheaper than doing it in house.


This is one that one of the mag groups uses.

The monthly entries are scanned initially and then the unique competition code for each entry is captured by our data capture team. This allows for competition entry results to be provided and each entry is placed in a unique competition pot to allow for computerized winner selection once each competition has closed.