Affiliate Disclosure
1. Introduction
This page is the Site’s Affiliate and Earnings Disclosure. It exists because honesty about money — and the lack of it — is part of a review site’s credibility. Its short answer is: A Cup of Crime does not currently earn money from the programmes it recommends, and it has no affiliate relationships or sponsored content as of the date above.
That could change. If it ever does, the terms below will update to say so clearly.
2. The position today
When the Site tells you to watch a programme, or points you to a streaming service or retailer where it appears, it does so for editorial reasons — because the show is worth your time, not because a link earns a commission. Right now:
- The Site does not use affiliate links.
- The Site does not accept sponsored posts or paid placements.
- The Site is not paid by broadcasters, studios, streaming services or retailers to feature or rank their programmes.
- Reviews are not written in exchange for free products, discounts or any other benefit.
- Any link on the Site to a place a programme can be bought or streamed is an editorial pointer, not a tracked commission link.
That is a statement about today, and it is accurate as of the “last updated” date above.
3. When links are not affiliate links
A link to a streaming service, a shop selling a boxset, or a broadcaster’s page is not an affiliate link simply because it points somewhere commercial. On this Site, links are placed to be useful — to let you actually watch or buy the thing being reviewed. Until and unless the Site holds an affiliate account with a service, none of its links earn it a penny, and they should be read that way.
4. If the Site ever begins earning from links
Should the Site ever join an affiliate programme, or take sponsored content or free review copies, that will be disclosed in two places at once, as the law requires:
- Here. This page would be updated with a new date stating which programmes the Site participates in and how commissions work.
- On the page in question. A clear notice near the relevant links — the kind that reads “this post contains affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you” — because a disclosure buried on a separate page is not a disclosure at all.
The Federal Trade Commission’s guidance on endorsements is the standard the Site would follow: a material connection — payment, free products, an affiliate commission — is disclosed clearly and close to the recommendation it relates to, in plain language.
5. Reviews stay independent either way
Opinions on this Site are the editor’s own and are not for sale. If a day ever came when a piece was sponsored or linked-to-earn, that fact would be labelled on the piece itself, and it would not change the verdict — a weak episode is a weak episode whether or not it is linked. Reader trust is worth more than any commission, and this page’s existence is part of protecting that.
6. Advertising
The Site does not currently display paid advertising, retargeting or sponsor banners. Should advertising ever be added that a visitor might mistake for editorial content, it would be labelled as advertising, because the line between a recommendation and an ad must stay visible.
7. Contact
If you ever believe a page should carry a clearer disclosure than it does, please say so — the Site would rather fix the label than risk the trust.
David O’Connell
A Cup of Crime
Email: admin@acupofcrime.com
Phone: (631) 956 4581