The Killing Writer: Illegal Downloading is "How Shows Die"
- Thread starter Sarah LeBoeuf
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I seriously wonder what is the point with articles like this. If it a social phenomena that will not disappear then why not try to adapt one business strategy to something more functional and thereby more lucrative. Screaming at society for being an ass will not help.
Getting something for free with close to no consequences will not disappear, its lucrative for the downloader. A free internet is also not going away, and all censorship and copyright claiming will not change that. Internet freedom is still seen as more lucrative for global society as a whole. (For the time being...)
The sad truth is that some things have to come to an end. Not everyone can be a writer and get paid, sometimes one must chose a alternative route. If pirating kills of shows, games, books, etc.. well maybe the best consequence is that there will not be as much of it as before.
Luxury products will never be a necessity and that is why nobody "really" cares if some products disappear. People will always figure out something else to do for entertainment. In other words stop whacking at the windmill, it will only make a ugly scratch.
Getting something for free with close to no consequences will not disappear, its lucrative for the downloader. A free internet is also not going away, and all censorship and copyright claiming will not change that. Internet freedom is still seen as more lucrative for global society as a whole. (For the time being...)
The sad truth is that some things have to come to an end. Not everyone can be a writer and get paid, sometimes one must chose a alternative route. If pirating kills of shows, games, books, etc.. well maybe the best consequence is that there will not be as much of it as before.
Luxury products will never be a necessity and that is why nobody "really" cares if some products disappear. People will always figure out something else to do for entertainment. In other words stop whacking at the windmill, it will only make a ugly scratch.
It's the fake math that gets them. "What? XYZ was illegally downloaded 100,000 times? If people paid $30 for that we would have gotten an extra $3,000,000!" Um no. Don't delude yourself. If there were no illegal downloads you would not have gotten an extra gazillion.
In my country the issue is service delivery. The content providers are hardly doing themselves any favors if pirating provides EASIER and MORE RELIABLE access. That's some of the controllables for the content providers, and they are failing abysmally. Whatever happened to wooing your customers?
In my country the issue is service delivery. The content providers are hardly doing themselves any favors if pirating provides EASIER and MORE RELIABLE access. That's some of the controllables for the content providers, and they are failing abysmally. Whatever happened to wooing your customers?
I live in a country that embraces the neo-liberal ideals of high wages for some and fuck the rest. This means they pretend fair market forces and then use monopolies and govt subsidies in order to hoard money.
Far as I am concern: Piracy = a market force. Upset because people don't have to pay the retarded prices you want to charge for your mediocre crap? Not my problem. You made the game, now play by your own f#$king rules.
Far as I am concern: Piracy = a market force. Upset because people don't have to pay the retarded prices you want to charge for your mediocre crap? Not my problem. You made the game, now play by your own f#$king rules.
Ok, let's take The Killing (which I never heard of before) as an example: According to Wikipedia, it was first broadcast in the US in 2011. The German first airing was in 2013, so roughly 2 years later, on RTL Crime which, despite the RTL network being among the largest, is still a niche channel.
2 years. Plus it was doubtlessly completely dubbed in German. German dubs are normally pretty solid (because the German market-speaking market is rather large compared to some others) but they still mangle many series (e.g. The Big Bang theory which is unwatchable in German). Anyone who is really interested in American crime series is surely able to understand English. So does anyone think someone capable of understanding English and interested in American crime series will wait 2 years for an inferior version?
There are many reasons for piracy and many are just BS from people who don't want to pay for it (and whose money you probably wouldn't see either). But not making the original language versions available internationally is really a mistake. Doing so could certainly make them just a bit more money.
It'd also be trackable for them. Because it sounds like being unable to track them is one of the problems. Streaming sites of course won't give their view numbers to anyone but it really sounds like a large part of their decision to cancel series X or Y is because of the TV view numbers, a pretty antiquated system imo. If they could measure how many people want to see their series through other channels, they would maybe feel more inclined to go down the path of also making it available through comparable channels.
But instead: "This video is not available in your country."
2 years. Plus it was doubtlessly completely dubbed in German. German dubs are normally pretty solid (because the German market-speaking market is rather large compared to some others) but they still mangle many series (e.g. The Big Bang theory which is unwatchable in German). Anyone who is really interested in American crime series is surely able to understand English. So does anyone think someone capable of understanding English and interested in American crime series will wait 2 years for an inferior version?
There are many reasons for piracy and many are just BS from people who don't want to pay for it (and whose money you probably wouldn't see either). But not making the original language versions available internationally is really a mistake. Doing so could certainly make them just a bit more money.
It'd also be trackable for them. Because it sounds like being unable to track them is one of the problems. Streaming sites of course won't give their view numbers to anyone but it really sounds like a large part of their decision to cancel series X or Y is because of the TV view numbers, a pretty antiquated system imo. If they could measure how many people want to see their series through other channels, they would maybe feel more inclined to go down the path of also making it available through comparable channels.
But instead: "This video is not available in your country."
Here's a crazy idea: make the show available legally SOONER.
I watch Big Bang Theory on the CBS website the same day it comes out. Just release the episodes immediately on your sites for streaming viewing after it's done airing on TV, put a couple non-invasive ads in there, and bam.
Jim Sterling nailed this so well. The industry isn't willing to adapt to new things, so it tries to force the new way to work within its own perimeters.
I watch Big Bang Theory on the CBS website the same day it comes out. Just release the episodes immediately on your sites for streaming viewing after it's done airing on TV, put a couple non-invasive ads in there, and bam.
Jim Sterling nailed this so well. The industry isn't willing to adapt to new things, so it tries to force the new way to work within its own perimeters.
I could pirate lands of lore, planescape torment etc but since they're easy to get for cheap on gog, I bought them there instead.
Now is there a "steam" or a "gog" for tv series that lets me do basic stuff "illegal" sites allow me to do like putting episodes on my phone and watching them on the train offline?
No.
Like gabe newell said, piracy is a service problem.
It is also free marketing and the "1 download = 1 lost sale" fallacy has been debunked ages ago.
Now is there a "steam" or a "gog" for tv series that lets me do basic stuff "illegal" sites allow me to do like putting episodes on my phone and watching them on the train offline?
No.
Like gabe newell said, piracy is a service problem.
It is also free marketing and the "1 download = 1 lost sale" fallacy has been debunked ages ago.
That isn't the choice. For many, if not most people it's piracy or nothing. If it wasn't available to watch for free, they wouldn't bother and they wouldn't buy it either. You can put penniless adolescents in this category, but also a whole class of people who wouldn't think of paying for TV or music. This class didn't exist before Napster and torrents. This consideration continues to be ignored by pretty much everyone. If the entertainment business understood it, the problem would probably be solved already.Sarah LeBoeuf said:
I blame Rupert Murdoch! I can't watch GoT legally in the UK because, I have cable not SKY TV and the channel GoT is on is held back from cable. I tried subbing to NOW TV but the picture quality was terrible, so i went back to pirating it.Shiftygiant said:
So in a nutshell a crappy tv shows writer is blaming piracy for why the show sucked and not the lack of decent writing(the show dragged a weak concept out over 4 series) or acting(most of the cast in the show we're more wooden than the tree's on the location shoots)? why is this even considered news worthy?
No, Mr Killing Writer - "illegal" downloading is how people want to consume content. I pay my TV license, I have a cable package, and it is absolutely 100% not my problem if my provider is totally uninterested in offering a decent on-demand service and the only way I can watch the shows I want to watch(and PAY to watch) at the times I choose to watch them is to obtain them from "alternative sources". It is also absolutely 100% not my problem if whatever corporate overlords sell the content you create to the service providers stipulate that they are not allowed to offer the shows on-demand at all.Sarah LeBoeuf said:
Like the music industry and the movie industry, the TV industry has sat comfortably for a long time now in a nice wee artificially maintained bubble, in which all the parties involved regardless of whether they're nominally "competitors" wanted the same thing; to extract the maximum possible revenue from a captive audience who had no alternative except to stop consuming all broadcast media.
Well the game is up, chum, now we do have an alternative, so if you need someone to blame for any issues your shows have(which frankly might have more to do with them being derivative ripoffs of far-superior foreign language products), blame the executives running the networks who dictate the way content can be consumed to providers, or blame providers that refuse to acknowledge that there's a far superior(for the customer) method of consuming content now than traditional spoon-fed timeslot-based broadcast television.
As I apparently live in the country with the highest rate of illegal TV show downloads, I should point out that part of the reason for that is the massive delays (or sometimes even downright impossibilities) in finding a decent way to view these things legally...
When a US or UK show takes 6+ months to make it here in any shape or form, many of us just give up and find it somewhere...
It's sad, but true. People are not known for patience. Even those of us who don't like the idea of ripping off the creators of such things.
Only the purest of the pure will never attempt to download something if you make it hard enough to find/access the legit thing...
If it takes you months of searching to find a legitimate source, but an illegal one can get you something in 5-10 minutes searching, well, the results speak for themselves. (To be fair, this is more common with old computer software, but software devs have largely started to catch on to this. The other main issue, the cost of certain specialised tools, such as 3d animation stuff, has also seen intermittent efforts - For a while, pretty much anyone doing 3d animation in a non-professional setting was likely using a pirated copy of some high-end package such as 3d studio max, (or maybe lightwave 3d). For a while there was gmax, which helped the modding community, but was discontinued), now you can get Maya on a monthly subscription that is far less painful than the older pricing model...)
Still, computer software isn't really the topic at hand.
If you live in certain countries, finding a 'legitimate' streaming site that isn't IP blocked can be incredibly difficult.
You have to hope it might show up on TV (Yes, old-fashioned, right?), but you'll often end up having to wait forever, and in some cases (such as Anime), that may not happen at all...
That limits your choices to illegal streams, or waiting forever and then probably still facing having really expensive DVD's as your only real option.
It just makes it quite difficult to do the right thing...
When a US or UK show takes 6+ months to make it here in any shape or form, many of us just give up and find it somewhere...
It's sad, but true. People are not known for patience. Even those of us who don't like the idea of ripping off the creators of such things.
Only the purest of the pure will never attempt to download something if you make it hard enough to find/access the legit thing...
If it takes you months of searching to find a legitimate source, but an illegal one can get you something in 5-10 minutes searching, well, the results speak for themselves. (To be fair, this is more common with old computer software, but software devs have largely started to catch on to this. The other main issue, the cost of certain specialised tools, such as 3d animation stuff, has also seen intermittent efforts - For a while, pretty much anyone doing 3d animation in a non-professional setting was likely using a pirated copy of some high-end package such as 3d studio max, (or maybe lightwave 3d). For a while there was gmax, which helped the modding community, but was discontinued), now you can get Maya on a monthly subscription that is far less painful than the older pricing model...)
Still, computer software isn't really the topic at hand.
If you live in certain countries, finding a 'legitimate' streaming site that isn't IP blocked can be incredibly difficult.
You have to hope it might show up on TV (Yes, old-fashioned, right?), but you'll often end up having to wait forever, and in some cases (such as Anime), that may not happen at all...
That limits your choices to illegal streams, or waiting forever and then probably still facing having really expensive DVD's as your only real option.
It just makes it quite difficult to do the right thing...
I'm sure that a professional pirate would claim that it's bad writing, executive meddling, and the dozen other things which kills shows that's killing shows. "It's not us, it's the big bad pirates that have been having a negligent and unprovable impact on the medium since piracy became a big thing twenty years ago!".
Yeah, no sale.
Yeah, no sale.
As an Australian, if I were theoretically pirating television shows, its not to stick it to the man. Its a refusal to participate in blatant and vicious price gouging which is commonly referred to as the Australian luxury goods market. When you stop trying to screw me, I will return the favour.
Oh so that's why Firefly got cancelled? Death to pirates, death to pirates!
ROFL, Prestwich should get half a brain first, then open his mouth.
ROFL, Prestwich should get half a brain first, then open his mouth.
Since piracy has been steadily declining, we should see an improvement of TV shows, then.
*looks at cable listings*
*goes back to binge watching netflix*
Oh, and for the record, I don't have cable. I don't pirate TV, but if you're limiting my digital access to your program in hopes I will watch it on TV then you've already lost my business for the next 2-3 years or however long you delay the product. If I don't watch it on Netflix or some other service first, I don't buy the DVDs.
*looks at cable listings*
*goes back to binge watching netflix*
Oh, and for the record, I don't have cable. I don't pirate TV, but if you're limiting my digital access to your program in hopes I will watch it on TV then you've already lost my business for the next 2-3 years or however long you delay the product. If I don't watch it on Netflix or some other service first, I don't buy the DVDs.
They do, though it seems the amount by which shows rely on DVD sales has risen over the years. I still see this as a failure to adapt to the digital marketplace.Not The Bees said:
I would watch the commercials and all, but I don't really have the ability to watch two shows at once. Everyone here has already mentioned other issues. How do I watch two shows I like on different channels at the same time?
Another problem is here in Canada if I decide to watch the episode later on their website the stupid thing does two things wrong:
1. There is a commercial even before the episode starts. Even with regular cable TV I wouldn't watch this. Now you expect me to deal with that.
2. The website has a lot of issues crashing. This is true of CTV. I'll be halfway through an episode and have watched 3 to 4 commercials. If the feed crashes, then I have to start again. Clicking the correct location in the episode means I have to watch all the commercials again. I've tried it. I ended up spending 45 minutes on a half hour show. This just doesn't cut it.
Another problem is here in Canada if I decide to watch the episode later on their website the stupid thing does two things wrong:
1. There is a commercial even before the episode starts. Even with regular cable TV I wouldn't watch this. Now you expect me to deal with that.
2. The website has a lot of issues crashing. This is true of CTV. I'll be halfway through an episode and have watched 3 to 4 commercials. If the feed crashes, then I have to start again. Clicking the correct location in the episode means I have to watch all the commercials again. I've tried it. I ended up spending 45 minutes on a half hour show. This just doesn't cut it.