Pay-Per-View Downloads of TV Shows?

An Extremely Anonymous Coward asks: "I've been thinking about the mass downloading of TV episodes. The TV companies appear to not be so desperate to sue people into bankruptcy for watching an illicit episode of _Friends_ or _The OC_. Does this mean they really are wondering about using this new media, rather then foaming at the mouth and suing twelve year olds? Will TV show production companies be the first to show some sense and offer their own downloads on a pay per view basis?" "I'd be happy to pay a monthly subscription of around ten dollars, so I could get access to tv shows without being branded a criminal.Alternatively, I'd happily pay around a dollar a show, if the quality was good. The argument that this would give no incentive to buy the series DVD's can easily be dealt with, since the sales from downloads might easily replace the revenue from the DVD box sets, and there are some people (myself included) who'd still like the higher definition versions and box sets of a few shows.

Adverts in the deal would change the amount per episode I'm willing to pay. Perhaps options like a free stream with unavoidable adverts, or a subscriber download with either very few, or no adverts, with price determining the amount of adverts included might help entice more users to use the service. A free stream of a popular show with adverts would probably stop most illegal downloaders, simply because their aim of watching the show would be achieved.

DRM is inevitable, which may be why it's taking so long for the executives in control of such things to pull their fingers out. The fact that it's essentially pointless doesn't seem to have stemmed their lust for it. I own lots of DVDs, and yet curiously I've never once had the urge to copy them, making their included anti-copy technology pointless. Also those who do want to copy them seem perfectly able to anyway, but that's another issue.

I find this delay in legal downloads of TV shows surprising, it seems to me that legal downloads of TV media could be the Internet's next gold-rush phenomena, but maybe that opinion isn't shared by many.

If any kind of service were offered I'd join it, even if only to encourage it. How much would other Slashdot readers be willing to pay? And on what sort of terms?"

Comments

You must be crazy

[RomulusNR]

What, you mean production decisions made based on the actual value to viewers?

The only problem is that the only things left on TV will star 20 year olds playing the parts of teenagers who whine about their parents and sleep with their best friend's S.O.'s.

Then again, it could save Enterprise.

(I'm not sure that that's any better.)

Re:It's an organizational problem

[PhillipC]

Soon we'll need an AAAA

Associations of America Association of America

Re:1 dollar a show is rediculous

[Anonymous Coward]

Your joking write?

Its "red-ick-u-lice", you pronounce it red like the color so why wouldn't you spell it rEdiculous? Its not "rid-ick-u-lus" as in getting "rid" of somethink.

You should go back to school and learn English.

Re:Never Happen

[Seelo]

The short answer is: If there is money involved, it is very complicated. If no one wants to make money, distribtion is easy-peasy, rightsholders just sign off on it.

Problem: EVERYONE wants to make residual income, it requires no effort and is very lucrative.

So in conclusion: Big Media are a bunch of big jerks.

Re:Market Adjustment

[NormalVisual]

It's not limited to movies either - my wife and I derive actual entertainment from watching "The King of Queens" by playing "spot the product placements".