UFC On Demand Can Lick My Anus
** THIS POST CONTAINS EXTREME WEB NERDERY ** and I will probably lose most of you partway through. But I have to get this off my gotdamn chest.
Whenever websites require the use of Internet Explorer on a PC with ActiveX to get to something on the internet, it makes me angry. In fact, whenever any site MAKES you do anything to reach its content, it makes me angry. It’s like saying, “my shit is so great, I will MAKE you jump through hoops to get to it”. Fuck, that pisses me off. So pissed that I had to make a blog entry title with as much spunk as this one.
First off, right before UFC VOD launched, UFC fights began disappearing from places like YouTube. This made me sad. As you can guess, I’m not exactly a proponent of Digital Rights Management. My opinion on this is even stronger when it comes to MMA because I believe that in order to generate fanfare, people need to see old fights. This is what generates high gate and PPV revenues, which is where most of Zuffa and Pride’s money comes from. DVD sales? Not so much. Is it because of piracy or YouTube? I doubt it.
OK back to the browser issue with video.ufc.com (I’m not even going to link to it because I hate it so much). ActiveX is Microsoft-ware that basically allows a web application to access your computer. It’s gone through a gauntlet of updates because of security issues alone, much less functional issues—basically it’s a piece of shit on fire. I’m guessing that they are using it to keep you from stealing the video and distributing it elsewhere, which I have issues with inherently, but I find it hard to believe that there aren’t other options.
According to the visitor stats for this very blog you’re reading, 29% of you are using Firefox. If I could meet each and every one of you I would shake your hand, pat you on the ass, look you in the eyes and say, “Thank you” in an earnest and sincere fashion. So let’s say that my relatively small sample size is accurate. This means that video.ufc.com is blocking access to 1/3 of all of their visitors. Nice work, retards. Welcome to the InterWeb. And if that weren’t enough, 11% of you are using Macs. None of you will be able to access it, but it’s not because YOU are on a Mac… it’s because the UFC doesn’t understand web standards.
The worst part of this is that if you aren’t using IE on a PC, you can still make purchases! How fucked up is that? If you’re on a Mac, you’d be dropping cash on videos that you can’t even fucking watch. So listen up, my little monkeys: keep posting on YouTube, and don’t buy anything from that store. Maybe that way it will do the only thing that it should be doing—go away.
Thank you for listening.
Jonathan
said
I totally agree with you there. When it first came out I went there and it said that I needed IE to use it. I was like, “fuck that”, left, and never been back since.
Erin
said
That because Firefox is too cool for UDC to understand. And yes I am part of the 29% using it.
Chuckmonster
said
This is surprising considering how much ca$h the ufc dorques-in-command spend on that highly stylized, blood splattered, diamond plate, photoshop gradient, floating div, standards compliant xhtml 1.0 transitional doctype bonanza they call a website.
am i a G33K too?
Mightymaxx
said
When the end of the owrld comes, satan’s army will be pushed down by active X.
Alex
said
Safari and Firefox is the wave of the future. Everything would be in Quicktime if it was up to me. Realplayer & WMV sucks ass.
The King of Kings
said
that was one fuckin gravy blog but you mis spelled MPAA. I use firefox and wouldnt have it any other way yay my bday in 1 min Long hair for life!
Firefox Geek
said
Firefox users can use the Firefox plug on called: User agent switcher, from http://chrispederick.com/work/useragentswitcher/
This allow your Firefox browser to appear as IE on windows XP and I can now access the UFC on demand website using Firefox on my mac. I haven’t downloaded any of the videos but I might try it out to watch UFC 68 if they release it the same night as the fight.
bino
said
Although I’m not anti-microsoft or ActiveX which proves useful in many ways. UFCVOD is very very poorly implemented. Even if you have IE with ActiveX enabled, the chance of success of actually watchin a video you pay for is low. The software is horrible. after you make a purchase it opens up a “UFC download center” which serves no purpose. it has no browsing funtionality, no purchase history functionality, no purpose whatsoever. you basically have to rebrowse to the webpage with the video you bought to view it if anything goes wrong, which it did for me almost every time. The support is a joke. I opened their “live support” asking them to reset the license because mine got used by errors in their crappy download manager and the guy reset the license but tried to convince me that i needed to reset all the security and privacy settings in IE to make it take effect. what a joke.
btw, i have a BS in Comp Sci from CSU Chico
Alex
said
Wow, I did not know all this. Good thing I googled it before I purchased an acount. It doesn’t say any of this on the site, and seeing as I am a Mac user, it is a pretty big deal. Thanks guys.
andy
said
Perfect. Please staple this post to Dana White’s smug little face. A sport (mma) and a company (zuffa/ufc) are missing the boat completely at a crucial time for growth and just whiffing on it. completely embarrassing. Dear UFC, are Macs not worth your marketing scope? Fuck us? Nice. Thanks. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
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