About spoilers after the show is broadcast?

[StrugglingAlbion]

Not a TAAT, but inspired by a current thread in which the OP was called a "dick" and a "massive cunt" for posting a thread revealing the winner of last nights Apprentice final. I have been meaning to start this thread for ages so here is an opportunity.

I think the acceptability of this is a rather divisive issue, and perhaps I'll be flamed, but my view is that, once the show in question has been broadcast, it becomes ok to discuss the result online. Therefore, spoilers are acceptable.

In fact it is only a spoiler to a person who has for whatever reason happened to have not watched the show. It's not really a spoiler in the true sense of the word i.e. a reveal of what is going to happen in an upcoming show. Proper spoiler threads should carry a warning.

If you don't want to see spoilers I think it is entirely your responsibility to avoid social media or threads on here or wherever that could contain spoilers. It is surely foreseeable that a thread today about the Apprentice might reveal last nights winner?

That being said, I probably would have or a spoiler warning had it been my thread, to avoid the overreaction wrath of many posters. But that would have been my call and I don't believe I would have been wrong not to do so.

[user1493413286]

I agree; I usually watch stuff on catch up but if it’s a show where a winner will be revealed etc then I make sure I watch it that day. How long are people expected to keep quiet as someone might not watch it for a month!
If I can’t watch it that day I stay offline and off live tv like morning tv til I can see it.

[DesignedForLife]

YABU. The thread should be titled to make it clear it's about said show or spoilers involved. It's just polite. Many people work shift or get caught up in childcare and really look forward to watching a final. It's massively disappointing when someone lets you know what happens. Football match reports on the news always come with a "turn away now" warning.

[TheFallenMadonna]

I read a thread recently where a poster was abused (really nasty name calling) for referring to the death of a TV character which aired in 2014. People are weird...

[amusedbush]

People are busy and so rely on catch-up TV. I can't always make time to watch a show as it airs so I think it's polite to have a spoiler warning for at least a couple of days.

[amusedbush]

TheFallenMadonna

I'm currently trying to avoid spoilers for The West Wing, which ended a decade ago

[TheFallenMadonna]

So how long should the embargo be?

[katmarie]

To be fair the title of that thread made no reference at all to the fact it was about the apprentice, so people wouldn't have had a chance to look at it and decide to avoid if they wanted to avoid spoilers, which I think is what annoyed some people.

[ArbitraryName]

I think that, if you are watching some kind of live tv event on catch up and care about ‘spoilers’, it’s your own responsibility not to open threads on MN about the tv series you’re watching.

[amusedbush]

it’s your own responsibility not to open threads on MN about the tv series you’re watching.

And most people wouldn't but the thread to which this thread refers to (loosely) had nothing relevant in the title. MNHQ added a spoiler warning to the title but it's in the "trending" box, which cuts the title short, so you can't see the warning.

[ArbitraryName]

It might be slightly different if it weren’t a thread about the series. But still the whole live tv event thing means that you should expect the winner to be common knowledge immediately after it’s aired.

[amusedbush]

to which this thread refers*

[EmilyChambers79]

It’s your own responsibility not to open threads on MN about the tv series you’re watching

This particular thread revealed the winner of last night's Apprentice in the first sentence and the title of the thread didn't mention anything about it relating to the Apprentice. The title of the thread was "is this a rubbish gift" or something.

[ArbitraryName]

Except that the OP is not wanting a TAAT about that particular thread (which does sound ill judged by the OP, not least because apprentice fans wouldn’t know to open it by the title).

In general, however, if one of looking to avoid spoilers for something that’s already aired, one should avoid social media.

[JimLahey]

But it wasn't clear from the title that it was about the Apprentice..

[Aridane]

Generally speaking I would agree with you, OP. Think it gets a bit more difficult where something is shown in the US a bit ahead of the UK. Or where Netflix releases a whole series

[Foxyloxy1plus1]

I agree that it isn't a spoiler if it's aired after the show has broadcast. If it's before, I think people are justified in being annoyed if they open a thread without realising. But after the programme, if you're watching on catch up, you just need to avoid anything that might give the game away.

[FindoGask]

I agree, it's broadcast already and therefore fair game. People are so precious these days.

[LoverOfCake]

Once a show has aired discussion of it is fair game. If someone doesn't want to happen upon information about said show then the responsibility of that person isn't to only avoid thread titles which involve discussion their responsibility is to avoid the internet.

Anyone who calls someone a cunt for talking about the winner/ending of a programme (which let's be fair has already been revealed by the makers of said programme by virtue of the fact that it has already aired) is pathetic in the extreme. I would go out of my way to reveal all winners of all shows to someone like that purely to piss them off because they need to get a fucking grip if finding out who won a programme after it's aired induces such rage in them.

[LoverOfCake]

And let's take it one step further. Let's say for argument purposes that the winner of a programme were a mumsnetter. Would they be unreasonable to post a "I'm so happy to have won the apprentice" as a thread on MN because someone might read it and not know?

[maddiemookins16mum]

The thread you are referring to was badly titled, even so anyone calling someone a massive c*nt for 'spoiling' it for them needs to get a grip.

[Iprefercoffeetotea]

I don't think it's unreasonable to discuss a show's outcome after it has aired, but no reason to put spoilers in the title, and maybe also say in the title that your post includes spoilers. That's a decent comptomise - people can still discuss but others know not to open the thread.

It happens on the Digital Spy forum for Strictly - there is a spoiler thread for those who want to know the result before the Sunday show - but spoilers are kept off the rest of the forum. That's slightly different because the show has not yet aired and people only know the outcome because people who went to the live show tell all, but even so, it works.

[MissionItsPossible]

I saw the thread in question. I wouldn't have been pleased had I been a fan of the show. I've said this before, but when I first started watching Twin Peaks, I was in the middle of it and hadn't found out who was behind the murder but it was announced it was coming back and I had to work very hard at not seeing spoilers for a show that was over 20 years old.

Someone had a go at me for saying Voldemort died in the last Harry Potter book...FOUR YEARS after it came out. Sorry, but that's ridiculous.

[grannytomine]

I'm currently trying to avoid spoilers for The West Wing, which ended a decade ago I'm planning on watching the last series over Christmas, I promise not to tell.

[Iprefercoffeetotea]

They also have threads going at eg UK pace and US pace - so if there is a difference you stay off the more advanced thread.

[amusedbush]

Thanks, grannytomine