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NVIDIA is allegedly influencing YouTube-based influencers and journalists to minimize the impact of "Navi," by dictating product placements and telling them which cards not to compare RX 5700-series cards with (theirs). One such tech-influencer created an anonymous account to share their experience on Reddit. According to them, NVIDIA marketing has a dictatorial attitude toward YouTube-based journalists that it provides free pre-NDA samples to.
At TechPowerUp have never experienced this ourselves, not for RX 5700 Series coverage, not for any other content. While NVIDIA does provide information and materials, we've never been told what we must or can not do.
These NVIDIA reference-design graphics card boxes, with the recognizable bright green SKU insert in the bottom-right corners, dominate the shelves most YouTube-based tech journalists use as backgrounds in their video reports. According to the whistleblower, this isn't a coincidence. NVIDIA is allegedly telling YouTubers to fill their shelves with NVIDIA graphics card boxes when reviewing Intel and AMD products. This could even include combinations of Intel and AMD products that have little to do with NVIDIA (such as a Ryzen processor review).
The whistleblower describes NVIDIA's influence over RX 5700-series reviews as follows:
NVIDIA is also pushing for unpaid and sometimes paid product-placement of its reference GeForce RTX and GeForce GTX product boxes on the shelves of reviewers when reviewing AMD and Intel products. "NVIDIA is also asking YouTubers to do other things in AMD and Intel videos. NVIDIA asked me and others to make sure we always had NVIDIA branding visible in AMD and Intel coverage videos. NVIDIA asked for NVIDIA GTX and RTX boxes and cards to be visible in all AMD videos, videos that have nothing to do with NVIDIA products. NVIDIA asked me to make sure and never use AMD video cards when reviewing AMD and Intel CPUs. Some YouTubers are paid for this branding and product placement and others are not paid," they write.
On several YouTube videos, rows of GeForce RTX boxes in the field of view with content related to AMD products are hard to miss. Find examples of these videos yourself. Product placements are a reality, and need not affect the credibility of the reviewer making the content. It's entirely possible that the YouTubers merely want to flaunt their collection of hardware, as the "garage" or "mancave" aesthetic is popular with the PC enthusiast crowd that's relies on DIY (purchasing components and assembling powerful computers with them).
We are yet to find examples of the bigger allegation, that of NVIDIA micro-managing RX 5700-series reviews, but a good place to start would be any exclusive comparison between the $350 RX 5700 and the $400 RTX 2060 SUPER while not comparing the latter to the $400 RX 5700 XT; or worse, comparing the $400 RX 5700 XT to the $500 RTX 2070 SUPER. The whistleblower alleges that some YouTubers have even been influenced to completely keep NVIDIA cards off their comparisons, and pit the RX 5700 against older AMD hardware.
A way forward is being proposed for YouTubers by the whistleblower: full-disclosure in the description. "I guess none of this is illegal, but it is kind of dirty. "Pay to play" branding and product placement is nothing new. It is done all the time in movies, but reviews are not movies. Reviews are supposed to be focused on the product you are looking for information on, not filled with product placement by a competing GPU maker. If YouTubers are going to do this I think it should be stated as happening in the video description. If NVIDIA is buying product placement in AMD coverage videos, that should be stated in the video description. This marketing should require a disclosure. NVIDIA buying YouTubers needs to be exposed and talked about."
Here's the full text of the post on Reddit:
TechPowerUp
Years ago, NV got displeased with Anandtech not bending over backwards.
Punishment was quick to follow.
Anand ended up smearing own name by comparing stock AMD GPU to cherry picked AIB by nvidia (Fermi times)
UPDATE:
it got spicier:
At TechPowerUp have never experienced this ourselves, not for RX 5700 Series coverage, not for any other content. While NVIDIA does provide information and materials, we've never been told what we must or can not do.
These NVIDIA reference-design graphics card boxes, with the recognizable bright green SKU insert in the bottom-right corners, dominate the shelves most YouTube-based tech journalists use as backgrounds in their video reports. According to the whistleblower, this isn't a coincidence. NVIDIA is allegedly telling YouTubers to fill their shelves with NVIDIA graphics card boxes when reviewing Intel and AMD products. This could even include combinations of Intel and AMD products that have little to do with NVIDIA (such as a Ryzen processor review).
The whistleblower describes NVIDIA's influence over RX 5700-series reviews as follows:
It's alleged that two specific people in NVIDIA PR "handle" YouTube-based journalists. Their influence goes back to the Radeon Vega days (mid-2017), when NVIDIA enjoyed a domination over the market. "This all started back when first Vega 7 cards were coming out and now NVIDIA, particularly NV PR (names removed), both Press Relations employees for NVIDIA, are pushing this very hard since RX 5700 cards were released," they write.
NVIDIA is also pushing for unpaid and sometimes paid product-placement of its reference GeForce RTX and GeForce GTX product boxes on the shelves of reviewers when reviewing AMD and Intel products. "NVIDIA is also asking YouTubers to do other things in AMD and Intel videos. NVIDIA asked me and others to make sure we always had NVIDIA branding visible in AMD and Intel coverage videos. NVIDIA asked for NVIDIA GTX and RTX boxes and cards to be visible in all AMD videos, videos that have nothing to do with NVIDIA products. NVIDIA asked me to make sure and never use AMD video cards when reviewing AMD and Intel CPUs. Some YouTubers are paid for this branding and product placement and others are not paid," they write.
On several YouTube videos, rows of GeForce RTX boxes in the field of view with content related to AMD products are hard to miss. Find examples of these videos yourself. Product placements are a reality, and need not affect the credibility of the reviewer making the content. It's entirely possible that the YouTubers merely want to flaunt their collection of hardware, as the "garage" or "mancave" aesthetic is popular with the PC enthusiast crowd that's relies on DIY (purchasing components and assembling powerful computers with them).
We are yet to find examples of the bigger allegation, that of NVIDIA micro-managing RX 5700-series reviews, but a good place to start would be any exclusive comparison between the $350 RX 5700 and the $400 RTX 2060 SUPER while not comparing the latter to the $400 RX 5700 XT; or worse, comparing the $400 RX 5700 XT to the $500 RTX 2070 SUPER. The whistleblower alleges that some YouTubers have even been influenced to completely keep NVIDIA cards off their comparisons, and pit the RX 5700 against older AMD hardware.
A way forward is being proposed for YouTubers by the whistleblower: full-disclosure in the description. "I guess none of this is illegal, but it is kind of dirty. "Pay to play" branding and product placement is nothing new. It is done all the time in movies, but reviews are not movies. Reviews are supposed to be focused on the product you are looking for information on, not filled with product placement by a competing GPU maker. If YouTubers are going to do this I think it should be stated as happening in the video description. If NVIDIA is buying product placement in AMD coverage videos, that should be stated in the video description. This marketing should require a disclosure. NVIDIA buying YouTubers needs to be exposed and talked about."
Here's the full text of the post on Reddit:
TechPowerUp
Years ago, NV got displeased with Anandtech not bending over backwards.
Punishment was quick to follow.
Anand ended up smearing own name by comparing stock AMD GPU to cherry picked AIB by nvidia (Fermi times)
UPDATE:
it got spicier:
Last edited:
