Alas, your partner has to go out for a while — so you smile and wave goodbye, and promise to wait until he or she comes back to continue watching the superhero’s Hell’s Kitchen-related antics. But you don’t wait. As soon as the door closes, you hit play and watch the Marvel logo flashes across your screen — you’re a serial series cheater.
The advent of streaming services has killed the need to gather around the TV with friends and family. Streamed-content cheating, the act of watching a show without your significant other present, is rampant. Thankfully, an unexpected company has come up with a solution to foster “series commitment” — Cornetto.
The people behind the popular ice cream brand (which is actually manufactured by Unilever) want to solve your relationship problem with rings, not ice cream. And no, not the kind of rings people get down on one knee to offer — Cornetto’s series of Commitment Rings make sure you can never watch another episode of a show without your partner being present.
The rings are outfitted with NFC technology and you have to pair them with an Android and iOS app to be able to watch a show. The app connects to a new video streaming service that piggybacks content off of popular streaming services. While the details are still being worked out, the service is partnering with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Wuaki.tv, and more.
If only one ring is connected, the app won’t let you watch a show via the service. It’s unclear if the service would block access to native apps like Netflix, because otherwise you could just go to a specific app to continue your cheating habits. Blocking that access is unlikely, but any solution to breaking an addiction has loopholes — and admitting that you have a problem is the first step, right?
The video streaming service account will only run for six months, though it’s unclear why. Getting a pair of the rings is reportedly based on a first-come, first-served basis, but you can sign up on the website. Right now the website says Cornetto will let you know when the rings are available for purchase, but a spokesperson told Digital Trends that the rings will be available in October. The delay can be attributed to “difficult” negotiations with streaming platforms.
“One of the first pairs will be sent to a couple in Germany who contacted us to have the rings ready to use as their wedding rings, so we have a very important deadline,” the spokesperson said.
You can sign up to get a pair of rings from Cornetto. Once they arrive, link the rings to a video streaming service for six months. We imagine the likes of Netflix and Hulu will be available, but all you have to do is use the app Cornetto has created to choose which shows you and your partner want to watch together. These shows will then only play when the rings are physically close together.
We’ll keep you updated if Cornetto’s Commitment Rings ever go up for purchase online, but in the meantime, try and curb your adulterous streaming habits and remember — “make your love last more than one season.”
