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Subtrope of CompetingProductPotshot.

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Subtrope SubTrope of CompetingProductPotshot.
CompetingProductPotshot.



[[folder:United States]]

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[[folder:United [[folder:Advertising -- United States]]



* In the early 2000s, Dish Network [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRRmQE3kBRE ran ads]] showing a CGI "cable {{snake|sAreSinister}}" that would give you low quality TV signals and steal your money.
* Around October 2011, Buckeye Cable of northwest Ohio ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and parts of southern Michigan]]) was running two different commercial campaigns. The first one involved a pair of Dish Network salesmen trying and failing to sell existing Buckeye customers satellite TV. The second one involved talking computers that are so happy with Buckeye's internet speed because of how quickly they can load up games or hit shopping websites (the latter includes a trio of computers that all sound like [[SassyBlackWoman Sassy Black Women]]). A couple other campaigns were less subtle about decrying the problems of satellite TV and included such things as a list of dish complaints set to "March of the Toreadors" and [[MundaneMadeAwesome a man's plight with rain and his dish]] set to OminousLatinChanting.

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* In the early 2000s, Dish Network [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRRmQE3kBRE ran ads]] showing a CGI "cable {{snake|sAreSinister}}" that would give you low quality low-quality TV signals and steal your money.
* Around October 2011, Buckeye Cable of northwest Ohio ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and parts of southern Michigan]]) was running two different commercial campaigns. The first one involved a pair of Dish Network salesmen trying and failing to sell existing Buckeye customers satellite TV. The second one involved talking computers that are so happy with Buckeye's internet speed because of how quickly they can load up games or hit shopping websites (the latter includes a trio of computers that all sound like [[SassyBlackWoman Sassy Black Women]]). A couple of other campaigns were less subtle about decrying the problems of satellite TV and included such things as a list of dish complaints set to "March of the Toreadors" and [[MundaneMadeAwesome a man's plight with rain and his dish]] set to OminousLatinChanting.



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[[folder:Other]][[folder:Advertising -- Other Countries]]



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** Some guy put up a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2z3pqFDzIA&feature=related "completely awesome version"]] on Website/YouTube where the awesome Verizon installer guy [[YourHeadAsplode blows up]].

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** Some guy put up a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2z3pqFDzIA&feature=related "completely awesome version"]] on Website/YouTube Platform/YouTube where the awesome Verizon installer guy [[YourHeadAsplode blows up]].
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* Creator/SkyOne LOVED to point out in promos for their series that they would show up years before coming to terrestrial, most notably in one for ''Series/LawAndOrder'' which specifically mentioned the series' FTA home Creator/Channel5; this one was narrated by Steven Zirnkilton... who, for those who don't know, is the fellow who provides the opening voiceover for all the ''L&O'' shows.

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* Creator/SkyOne [[Creator/{{Sky}} Sky One]] LOVED to point out in promos for their series that they would show up years before coming to terrestrial, most notably in one for ''Series/LawAndOrder'' which specifically mentioned the series' FTA home Creator/Channel5; this one was narrated by Steven Zirnkilton... who, for those who don't know, is the fellow who provides the opening voiceover for all the ''L&O'' shows.



* In the UK, there was a brief but bitter war between Virgin Media and Sky, after a falling out meant that Sky withdrew some of their channels (such as Creator/Sky1) that had previously been available on Virgin. So instead of saying "You can watch this on our service", Sky's ads for the next few months all said "You can't watch this on their service", i.e. their ''Series/{{Lost}}'' poster read "Answers are coming... but not to Virgin Media".

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* In the UK, there was a brief but bitter war between Virgin Media and Sky, after a falling out meant that Sky withdrew some of their channels (such as Creator/Sky1) [[Creator/{{Sky}} Sky One]]) that had previously been available on Virgin. So instead of saying "You can watch this on our service", Sky's ads for the next few months all said "You can't watch this on their service", i.e. their ''Series/{{Lost}}'' poster read "Answers are coming... but not to Virgin Media".
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The development of "triple-play" -- phone, TV and data in a cable connection -- might turn the tables on this practice sooner or later. Satellite has historically been far more expensive and less efficient for data and phone than wired services, at least in urban areas. Something else that has also begun to change the playing field is (usually cheaper and more convenient) online viewing through services such as Hulu, Amazon Instant Video / Prime, and Netflix, leading many to [[TakeAThirdOption ditch either cable or satellite entirely]]. Of course, this may just mean that the cable / satellite providers pursue the remaining market all the more aggressively. (For example, partnering with cable and satellite TV ''networks'' to provide apps for phones and devices like the Roku that require logging in via the cable or satellite provider (and therefore a subscription to the cable or satellite provider. Or encouraging them to add on services like Internet and phone, or DVR service, which also usually comes with an additional fee.) Additionally, while satellite TV subscriptions have begun to dramatically decline, both [=DirecTV=] and Dish operate "cord-cutting" services ([=DirecTV=] Now/AT&T TV Now for the former, Sling TV for the latter) to keep up with the changing marketplace.

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The development of "triple-play" -- phone, TV and data in a cable connection -- might turn the tables on this practice sooner or later. Satellite has historically been far more expensive and less efficient for data and phone than wired services, at least in urban areas. Something else that has also begun to change the playing field is (usually cheaper and more convenient) online viewing through services such as Hulu, Amazon Instant Video / Prime, and Netflix, leading many to [[TakeAThirdOption ditch either cable or satellite entirely]]. Of course, this may just mean that the cable / satellite providers pursue the remaining market all the more aggressively. (For example, partnering with cable and satellite TV ''networks'' to provide apps for phones and devices like the Roku that require logging in via the cable or satellite provider (and therefore a subscription to the cable or satellite provider.provider). Or encouraging them to add on services like Internet and phone, or DVR service, which also usually comes with an additional fee.) Additionally, while satellite TV subscriptions have begun to dramatically decline, both [=DirecTV=] and Dish operate "cord-cutting" services ([=DirecTV=] Now/AT&T TV Now for the former, Sling TV for the latter) to keep up with the changing marketplace.
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* Sling TV, a Dish Network-owned service that provides around 20 popular cable channels (including holy grail Creator/{{ESPN}}) for Internet streaming, has gotten into the game with commercials that portray thinly-veiled Comcast employees as bullying schoolchildren, forcing you to give them your lunch money -- that is, pay for 400 cable channels you don't want -- and making fun of you to their friends when you try to call customer support.

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* Sling TV, a Dish Network-owned service that provides around 20 dozens of popular cable channels (including holy grail Creator/{{ESPN}}) for Internet streaming, has gotten into the game with commercials that portray thinly-veiled Comcast employees as bullying schoolchildren, forcing you to give them your lunch money -- that is, pay for 400 cable channels you don't want -- and making fun of you to their friends when you try to call customer support.
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* This was averted in the UK, at least for a time. Cable was slow to spread in the country, not getting big until the 90s. When Creator/{{Sky}} debuted its Astra-based service in February 1989, they found themselves in a war with the government-backed satellite company BSB. However, due to equipment problems and other issues, BSB's start was delayed until March of 1990. They found themselves in a war of words (both sides constantly flinging insults at each other in marketing and the press), and a war of attrition, as both Sky and BSB lost money by the truckload (thanks to getting into bidding wars regarding rights to movies and sports, as well as people waiting to see which side won out). Ultimately, both companies merged into one British Sky Broadcasting to save themselves, thus leaving Sky unopposed in the satellite realm until the emergence of Freesat in the late 2000s (though strictly-speaking Astra was an open platform, with Sky scrambling channels intended for only UK viewers to see). However, when digital terrestrial came along later in the decade, Sky (after being kicked out of the original group for competition reasons) pretty much did everything they could to sabotage [=OnDigital=] (later renamed Creator/{{ITV}} Digital), including hiring hackers to crack the DTT encryption system (despite [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat having many technical and programming advantages over On/ITV Digital]]). Sky won that duel when ITV Digital went bust, with Freeview coming along shortly afterwards (subscription DTT services were attempted afterwards, but largely failed).

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* This was averted in the UK, at least for a time. Cable was slow to spread in the country, not getting big until the 90s. When Creator/{{Sky}} debuted its Astra-based service in February 1989, they found themselves in a war with the government-backed satellite company BSB. However, due to equipment problems and other issues, BSB's start was delayed until March of 1990. They found themselves in a war of words (both sides constantly flinging insults at each other in marketing and the press), and a war of attrition, as both Sky and BSB lost money by the truckload (thanks to getting into bidding wars regarding rights to movies and sports, as well as people waiting to see which side won out). Ultimately, both companies merged into one British Sky Broadcasting to save themselves, thus leaving Sky unopposed in the satellite realm until the emergence of Freesat in the late 2000s (though strictly-speaking Astra was an open platform, with Sky scrambling channels intended for only UK viewers to see). However, when digital terrestrial came along later in the decade, Sky (after being kicked out of the original group for competition reasons) pretty much did everything they could to sabotage [=OnDigital=] (later renamed Creator/{{ITV}} Digital), including hiring hackers to crack the DTT encryption system (despite [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat having many technical and programming advantages over On/ITV Digital]]). Sky won that duel when ITV Digital went bust, with Freeview coming along shortly afterwards (subscription DTT services were attempted afterwards, but largely failed).



* In Ireland, providers knocking each other's cable/satellite offerings isn't really the done thing, perhaps because the Irish pay TV market is pretty much just Sky and Virgin Media (formerly UPC). However, trading insults over broadband offerings is fair game there:

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* In Ireland, providers knocking each other's cable/satellite offerings isn't really the done thing, perhaps because the Irish pay TV market is pretty much just largely Sky and Virgin Media (formerly UPC). However, trading insults over broadband offerings is fair game there:
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* In Ireland, providers knocking each other's cable/satellite offerings isn't really the done thing, perhaps because the Irish pay TV market is pretty much just Sky and Virgin Media (formerly UPC). However, trading insults over broadband offerings is fair game there:
** When UPC first launched in Ireland they liked to state how their broadband was 3x faster and more reliable than market leader Eircom's[[note]]now called Eir[[/note]] offering. This was illustrated by showing two light tunnels with characters moving through them. Eircom's tunnel was [[GrayIsUseless a dull grey]] and characters struggled to get from point A to point B as if they were stuck in traffic, while UPC's was neon blue and had its characters move around freely.
** When Vodafone entered the broadband market in Ireland they ran an ad showing a row of houses where the front doors spontaneously paint themselves in Vodafone's trademark red to represent the households joining Vodafone broadband. Not long after, Eircom retaliated with [[https://www.irishtimes.com/business/vodafone-advert-makes-eircom-see-red-1.774495 an ad showing the residents stripping the red paint away]] to reveal the orange of Eircom's logo at the time to suggest the households had found a better deal at Eircom.
** As of 2022, Eir - rebranded from Eircom in 2015 - has been stating in their ads that switching from Virgin Media to Eir can save you €300. The ads however don't state if this is €300 a ''month'' or €300 a ''year'', plus there's no mention in the fine print about a consumer study to prove this, making it seem more like baseless knocking of Virgin than a genuine reason to switch.

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