Oz tv shows go missing
p2pnet.net News:- Australian IP expert Alex Malik says Oz has a long and impressive list of tv programs that have been aired and then taken off mid-season for no reason other than their inability to meet certain rating targets, or simply because it’s the end of the summer.
But, “According to my research, when TV shows are chopped and changed it encourages internet users to download these TV programs using Bit Torrent,” he told p2pnet, going on:.
“Obviously quality shows like The West Wing and Joan Of Arcadia are on the list, but there are other missing in action programs like Smallville, Charmed, Judging Amy, The Shield and Gilmore Girls.
“When a show like Charmed goes MIA mid-season and mid-story, and you’re fan, you’ll turn to BT.” Malik also points out that 26 well-hyped US shows have never even been shown in Australia.
BitTorrent has become very popular in the last year with Australians showing up in research as the world’s second most enthusiastic users of BitTorrent, just behind the UK but, surprisingly, ahead of the US.
“While BitTorrent has been perceived as a technically efficient means for users to download TV shows, the popularity of the software has also been encouraged by the decisions of TV programmers not to show or continue to show popular TV programs, and delay the broadcast of hot new programs from overseas,” states Malik.
“ BitTorrent’s popularity has been driven by local free to air TV programmers, who have adopted a strategy of removing popular television programs from schedules on short notice because they are deemed to be summer programs, or they don’t meet unofficial ratings goals.
“Australian cinema goers don’t have to wait long for the new films by Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock compared to their US counterparts. Cinema goers are also TV viewers. Some feel – Why should they wait for new TV programs from the US, or why show they be at the mercy of the whims of local TV programmers?”
As an exampe, Malik cites the fact the Nine Network aired the Academy Awards only seven hours after it was shown in the US, and Survivor is available only a couple of days after appearing in the US.
“TV networks need to acknowledge that television program piracy is a problem” declares Malik.
“The industry needs to develop new business models that tackle it. Television stations should offer consumers paid downloads or streaming options for new shows or existing shows that are off the main schedule, or they’ll go the way of the music industry.
“Viewers would pay a couple of dollars to see Glenn Close and Alan Alda on The West Wing or William Shatner on (the unaired) Boston Public
Earlier this year Music Industry Piracy Investigations raided Perth ISP Swiftel Communications in what has become the first Australian case against an ISP alleged to have adopted BitTorrent technology to link copyright infringers to music clips and sound recordings.
While the applicants in the case represent the recording industry, interestingly the television networks are not represented in these proceedings – even though they are typically the primary victim of BitTorrent downloads. It is confirmed that the Australian television stations have been notified of infringements relating to their television programs.
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<——If you torture the data enough, it will confess / Ronald Coase——>
April 24th, 2005 at 9:06 pm
crappy DRM’ed WMV files will never ever compare to quality encoded and non-drm’ed xvid.
They either offer a tracker with non-drm’ed xvid encodes in greater quality and speed to their subscribers or they don’t get squat.
April 24th, 2005 at 9:42 pm
This artifical scaricity has been ongoing for some time in Oz. Took a while for people to catch on but figures show that there is a serious lack on the part of the media megacorporations to supply full shows in their entirety or new albums that aren’t greatest hits and the like. Still within view here is a couple of charts showing where the artist isn’t available as a single but only as an ablum. It merely shows that the majors aren’t addressing their business demands but rather hoping to sell the public on either buying or buying at a higher price. Again we see what is driving the p2p’s. It is lack of supplying what the public demands in their marketplace. At the same time the convient “pirates” drumbeat is sounded at all times. A smokescreen to cover their butts and nothing more.
April 24th, 2005 at 11:34 pm
The local television programmers are screwing around everywhere, even in the great white north…The new Dr. Who has a couple weeks lag before it finds its way to the cbc…just one example.
April 25th, 2005 at 12:48 am
They talk about victims and television piracy, when really it’s the entertainment industry being… dicks. You have a show ready, promo all the time for it, then only show it in the US or the UK and effectively give the finger to Euro or Aussie viewers. Take for example Stargate SG-1, usually the first half of a season airs first in the US and then a few days later in the UK, while then mysteriously for the second half of a season it airs in the UK two days prior to over here. Within an hour of the completion of a show it’s already torrented on a few sites and we watch it. Of course, if you’re not in the US or the UK, you’re lucky if you get to see it broadcasted within the next year.
If you’re going to show it, show it everywhere it’s ever going to be at the same time, then we wouldn’t have to resort to watching our time-shifted non-comercial private copies that (un)fortunately don’t have any advertisements.
April 26th, 2005 at 1:34 pm
Oz tv shows go missing
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i’ve found them!
see – BitTorrent, Grokster, Kazaa, Morpheus, eMule, eDonkey, eD2K…
April 28th, 2005 at 12:26 pm
I recently downloaded episode 19 (series 4) of 24 via bittorrent. With only 5 episodes to go I will have watched the entire series before it is even advertised to air on Australian network television. I often wonder what my impetus is to wait until messers 7,9 and 10 decide I should see it (with advertising) instead of firing up Azureus and waiting 35 minutes while it downloads (without advertising). The only thing that will stop the masses from utilising this medium is catering to their wants and as the networks are participating in a market that now includes more technologically savvy individuals there will eventually be no choice. Perhaps it’s time for a little introspection on their behalf. Who really wants to sit in front of a television being blasted every 8 minutes with insipid jingles and childishly scripted advertising played at ever increasing volumes (sorry I meant compression, lol). The internet has provided a modicum of freedom from the contraints of greedy, monopolising entertainment franchises and I for one will embrace every facet I can.
August 11th, 2005 at 12:10 pm
asddas