TV Shows Are Our Favourite BitTorrent Downloads

17 responses to “TV Shows Are Our Favourite BitTorrent Downloads”

1. 

   Shane

   May 10, 2010

   If the main reasons for using Channel BT is because of the delay from airing overseas to it been made available to use here in the land of OZ AND not wanting to be tied to the scheduling decisions of the stations, I can’t see why ad supported streams wouldn’t be reasonable.

   Although the argument would then be people skipping the ads (personally, they’re a great excuse for a cup of tea of toilet break), we would probably see a greater reliance of product placement in program.

   I think the important point would be able to provide a variable pricing model.

   The idea would be able to provide people with the ability to download individual episodes (so we could test the waters), but provide a “bulk” purchase for seasons and even the entire series.

   It might even be possible to provide a “ad-less” verity at a high cost to the ad’ed version.

   I think the goal would be to provide a number of choices to people so that they don’t feel tied in and feel that they are getting value for money.

   They could over come the issue reasonably quick through the use of on-demand services and a much better release schedule that doesn’t make people inpatient.

   People now live in a much more global mind set, it’s a shame that our governments and the power’s to be haven’t been able to make that leap as well…

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   1. 

      Thepengwin

      May 10, 2010

      I like your reply Shane, and i would support paying for a season/individual episodes.

      The time delay thing is one problem that i really see. Its really annoying that you feel so behind on your favourite shows. There are also times where your favourite shows aren’t even broadcast in the country. as an example The Boondocks is nearly unheard of here, and im not going to pay for a huge foxtel/austar lineup to watch one show (if it is even in their lineup).

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   2. 

      Heath

      May 10, 2010

      It would be wonderful if there were streaming media sites with ad support of brand new content, I’d use it and let the ads run if I didn’t have to pay for the content. The idea of a bulk season buy would be great too, I’d pay a small fee, say $10-$15, to download a season in 1080p HD – at least then I would be getting the content from a trusted source and it will be the raw video content, as some video files I’ve downloaded have had trojans built in, not to mention large TV production companies would be able to provide fast download servers.

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2. 

   churchado

   May 10, 2010

   Personally, I am almost always downloading TV shows via BT. Usually they are episodes that have already aired that I have missed. I don’t feel like that is illegal as the eps are generally also available on catch up through the TV channel sites but I prefer to get a download version that I can don’t have to stream.
   Another point I want to make is that people only ever concentrate on the supposed revenue that is lost through BT. They never consider that it can actually work the other way. A case in point is that I downloaded the first episode of True Blood (to see what the fuss was about) and loved it so much I went out straight away and bought the bluray box set.

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   1. 

      Sam

      May 10, 2010

      Yep, this is very true. That said they’re their own worst enemy with releasing DVD’s too. Still waiting on Dollhouse to be released here.

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3. 

   Sarah

   May 10, 2010

   We are often seasons behind, and at the mercy of tv stations who buy the rights to screen, or don’t buy and then some awesome shows never get aired – it’s only been with the release of DVD tv series we even get to see some of them at all ( and those are not available if a network buys the option to screen I believe. Itunes is now screening some tv series a couple of weeks or months behind rather then the years.

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4. 

   Simon

   May 10, 2010

   Not to mention the issue with the networks actually showing these series in the correct episodic order (Fox’s broadcast of Firefly is a great example of this).
   What the networks need to realise is that if you want people to not use Channel BT so heavily they need to provide options that go beyond what they have offered historically. If you’re business model is no longer working, change it!
   And by change, I mean that the networks need to be seriously creative not just hire enough lawyers to try and push people back into how they want to do business.

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5. 

   Sydney2K

   May 10, 2010

   I find it surprising that people feel the need to watch a TV program- any TV program- immediately.

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   1. 

      Sam

      May 10, 2010

      If you like to talk about it on forums then you’ll quickly realise.

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6. 

   dave

   May 10, 2010

   Sometimes I want to watch a show twice to catch that little hint or twist that’s hidden at the beginning. I don’t like add breaks and sometimes the ABC cuts bits out of BBC programs when they eventually air.

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7. 

   Tim

   May 10, 2010

   Compared to the catch-up services you generally get better quality from Channel BT, too. What’s the point of having a big HD TV if the picture quality is comparable to a (good) youtube video?

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8. 

   Adam

   May 10, 2010

   How about advert supported like the Android applications?

   Just have a banner at the bottom of the screen with scrolling adverts?

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9. 

   Dan

   May 10, 2010

   For me it’d be a simple set of changes that would convince me to stop downloading my shows:

   – no airing delays from overseas
   – no scheduling bullsh!t (aka – on my own time)
   – no ads = up to $1/episode
   – ads = free, but ads either:
   – play all at beginning of stream; or
   – limited in number of breaks (3 per hour)

   If the networks and studios would relinquish their grip on this ancient business model of theirs, they could be making a metric arseload of money from the volume of subscribers, plus ad revenue (if done right).

   It’s the 21st century fer cryin’ out loud.

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10. 

    Luke

    May 10, 2010

    if a large volume of Australians are downloading TV Shows for free, then producers are already losing profits. a lot of shows never make it here on free-to-air television anyways, so there is a potential to make some money from nothing.

    i’d pay $1 per episode, ad-free. u don’t think they realise how much media we consume these days. they should do this NOW to compete with BitTorrent and earn some money. however the BitTorrent releases are very fast, very high quality it’s the only way for them to compete is for a simple cheap clean digital service.

    they’ve left it too long and it’s their own fault for not creating a service at all, YET! other people have done the duty of providing it and without even asking for any $.

    all content creators should stop trying to control how their content is distributed as we have the internet to do that for us now, and simply look for compensation for their content. make people pay for the search/filter/social/download aspects instead of the actual content.

    if i was a television producer, i’d be doing a deal with Facebook

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11. 

    Renny Willins

    May 11, 2010

    We (the consumers) are told that digital download is the latest thing. Buy an Apple TV (or windows media equivalent) and you can buy your movies and TV online.
    OK, so we go and buy said device and then we wait. We wait for the distributors in this country to get off their rears and make the content available. Where is Dexter, Medium, Star Trek and so on….?

    Its simple.
    For those that choose (or are committed) to a media type – make the content available and we’ll pay (and I do when I can) but with hold, be greedy or play politics and we just get it elsewhere and you (the copyright owners) get nothing.

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12. 

    Joshua

    May 11, 2010

    How about they start releasing tv series on bluray in australia!

    I have been waiting for a long time to buy Dexter on blu ray.. It is available in other countries!

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13. 

    James

    February 4, 2011

    Freedom. Watching your TV without ADS and NEWS is bliss. A total media blackout is good for your mental health. It is’t hurting the industry at all. Stations are still charging big bucks for an advert and the producers are cashing in big time on after market sales. Don’t listen to the BS that its hurting the industry. maybe in 5 years it might.

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