After software “upgrade”, StarHub TV+ is slow and pushes unskippable ads

[The_King]

At first, I thought it was just a random glitch. Then, as the slow interface and intermittent reboots became common, I saw a pattern. The StarHub TV+ app and set-top box, which had been working fine for a couple of years now, have become terrible to use this past month.

The explanation came in an SMS from StarHub a few weeks ago. As if to rub things in, the telecom operator actually boasted that it had updated its pay-TV software for its set-top boxes, promising an upgrade for its TV viewing experience.

Upgrade is the last word I’d use here. Unceremoniously, StarHub has actually downgraded what was a functioning pay-TV experience with an new interface that is slow, clunky, unstable and borderline unusable, if you consider navigating through the menus smoothly an important feature.

Sometimes, when you switch out of an app, say Mediacorp’s MeWatch, the StarHub Android set-top box seems to restart itself by reloading the software. To move from one app to another, which should be instantaneous, you sit and wait for several seconds.

This startup screen pops up often when you exit an app, such as Mediacorp’s MeWatch. You’re forced to wait several seconds before being able to access any other app on the StarHub TV+ box. PHOTO: Alfred Siew

To make things worse, StarHub has even introduced unskippable ads without telling paying customers beforehand.

It’s unclear when and how these ads are programmed to appear but usually they do so after you exit one app, like YouTube or MeWatch, to switch to another app, say, Netflix. I once had to sit through three ads just to switch from one app to another.

Imagine trying to switch between apps on your smartphone but being forced to watch a series of ads before you could move from Facebook to Chrome. That’s what StarHub has done.

And it has the cheek to tell complaining customers that these ads do not interfere with the viewing experience because they do not appear during a video stream.

Excuse me, you’re talking to paying customers. We are not using a free version of Netflix or Spotify here. Nor are we using a pirate Android box streaming illegal versions of the English Premier League, something StarHub is so keen on educating users against.

The experience with the legitimate StarHub box, let’s be honest, makes you feel like you’ve just signed up for an illegal set-top box service. These unskippable ads are not just an annoyance – they make paying customers feel like they are freeloaders.

If you’re NTUC Income, Ogawa and other advertisers whose ads are showing up repeatedly on StarHub TV+ boxes, please know that you are annoying people to bits. No, such irritating, disruptive ads don’t work; actually, they make people hate your brand.

One of the annoying unskippable ads that StarHub pushes to paying customers without warning. This one which is often shown is from NTUC Income.

For a while, I thought I was just unlucky. Perhaps other StarHub customers didn’t face the same problem. So, I had restarted my box several times, checked the firmware and made sure it was working okay.

After reading comments on the StarHub Facebook page (below) and speaking with its customer service in recent days, it does seem that my experience is what many others are getting as well.

 

Clearly, this software “upgrade” is an own goal by the telecom operator, just as it seemed to be winning.

When it rolled out its little white Android set-top boxes a few years ago, you think it had finally cast out its cable-TV legacy and moved up to the streaming TV future.

The original StarHub box was smooth enough to show off its video shows but also allowed users to easily set up their own Android TV apps, such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and VLC. The experience was good.

Sadly, old habits seem to have come back. By rolling out a clunky, poorly conceived interface, StarHub has now reminded customers why they had cut the cord originally.

They can easily get all these TV shows on any Android or Apple device, never mind the StarHub TV+ app or box, and run things much more smoothly.

By pushing these customers away, StarHub is losing the data it would have gathered from them using Netflix and other apps on its set-top boxes. It is throwing away an opportunity to upsell over-the-top TV services like Netflix and its mobile and broadband services too.

My two-year contract with StarHub is set to end in July and I was prepared to sign up for a 10Gbps fibre broadband bundle because it was attractively priced. Now, I’m more determined to return the dreaded set-top box and cut the cord once again.

[DynamiteZerg]

Starhub scoring own goal once again!