Lord Alan Sugar, the billionaire entrepreneur and star of The Apprentice, has ignited a social media debate after complaining about his £5-a-month ITVX subscription. Despite an estimated net worth of £1 billion, Sugar expressed frustration over the platform's advertising practices, drawing mixed reactions from followers.
Complaint About Ad-Free Promise
In a tweet posted on Tuesday night, Sugar wrote: 'Watch out. I subscribed to ITVX agreed to pay £5 a month [to] not see adverts. However their claim is very sneaky, instead of interrupting programmes with 3rd party commercial adverts. They interrupt with promos of their own programmes. I think Ofcom should investigate.' The tweet has since garnered 20,000 likes and 1.6 million views.
ITVX offers a free tier and a premium subscription at £5.99 per month, which is advertised as allowing viewers to watch TV 'ad-free.' However, the fine print states: 'Ad-free applies to our on-demand library only and programmes may contain ITV promotions where contractually required. Live TV plays with ads.' This means premium subscribers may still encounter ITV promotions.
Public Reactions Divide
The backlash was swift. User Ticketmancity commented: 'Amazing this isn’t a parody account.' Others defended Sugar, with SiddeekMMA stating: 'Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean he’s wrong. You pay for a service, it would be expected you get that service.' Riksimp89 bluntly remarked: 'It’s a fiver mate! God forbid.' Theoptionmonkey agreed with Sugar, writing: 'Did the same – and was similarly annoyed. Cancelled immediately. It’s awful, really awful.'
Praise for ITV Content
Despite his grievance, Sugar followed up with a tweet praising the true crime drama The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, calling it an 'excellent series' and lauding Grace Van Patten's acting. However, he reiterated his frustration, noting: 'It follows real events plus a BIT OF VAT good binge watch on ITVX but adverts and promos will drive you nuts. Even if you pay the £5 a month.'
Fan Lorna responded: 'One of the reasons I admire you is that you are still a down-to-earth man and stick to your principles (re. ITV X issue).' But Michael countered: 'Are you still whinging about that? They last about 30 seconds.'
Broader Context
The incident highlights ongoing consumer frustration with streaming services that advertise ad-free experiences but still include promotional content. Sugar's complaint has called attention to the fine print in ITVX's terms, which may mislead subscribers.
