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New Dr. Who Episode Leaked
Cougem writes "BBC News is reporting on how an episode from the brand new series of the old science fiction TV show, Doctor Who, has been leaked onto the Internet. 'A 45-minute episode, called Rose, has appeared three weeks before the series is expected to begin on BBC One. Rose is the name of the character played by pop singer Billie Piper, who will be the assistant to the Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston.' With people saying sci-fi appeals more to the technical minded viewer, will this TV show's release onto the Internet damage the ratings considerably for the BBC? Or is it a minor problem for a corporation whose role is just to provide the public with entertainment?" Maybe it will boost ratings, instead; the public buzz about "leaks" is still far ahead of the average viewer's ability to actually find and download.
Who believes these 'leaks' anymore?
Or is 'leak' just a fig leaf to cover over the fact that good advertising may conflict with some of the copyrights and legalese?
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
Given that the SciFi channel isn't showing it, it can only help the interest within the USA.
Don't think so. I got it, and I still don't care for it.
Give me an episode of Blake's Seven anyday if we're talking British Sci Fi.
Mercy was given to me by Christ...I must give the same to others.
i personally think the BBC should provide free downloads (by bittorrent or something) to UK residents who have a tv license.
They could probably increase revenue if they created a subscription service for non-UK viewers too.
It could help their ratings, or it could hurt. It really depends on the episodes ability to stand on it's own. If it's a good episode and brings some new things to the table, it will get some good word of mouth amongst those who care. If it is a slop-shod episode, that brings nothing new to the table and is a thin attempt to reskin an old episode, then it will get bad word of mouth.
The risk because of the leak is great. I cannot believe it was intentional due to this; If the episode is good, word of mouth will be good and it will travel through the ranks of Dr. Who fans. It probably won't do a thing to add viewers, because people who don't already watch it, are not going to care, as they never had interest before, and probably won't until it hits the screen. A bad review from the leak, will cause fans to knock the show, and drive anyone who might have watched it to not watch it and hurt viewership.
In short, leaking is never very good. The damage can be great whereas the potential good that can come from it is extremely small. No one cares about good news, unless it is something that they care about to begin with. Everyone loves to hear bad news. Fact of life. That's why the evening news is nearly 100% bad news.
If people like it, they will watch it. If they don't like it, they won't. Is the whole family gonna huddle in front of the computer to watch it? No, they will wait until it's on TV and watch it there. If someone downloads the show and watches it and likes it, they will watch it again when it's on TV. And they might just drag a few more eyeballs to the TV with them. Content producers need to stop obsessing over the control of their content and pay more attention to the quality of the content. Good stuff will be successful, and bad stuff will sink into oblivion. DRM, copy protection, broadcast flags or whatever else that gets in the way, just throws a big wet blanket over the whole process.
I guess the problem is, there are quite a few of us Americans prefer the way the Brits do it. I personally prefer British humor, and so does my wife.
Perhaps it's because we grew up watching the Young Ones, Monty Python, Faulty Towers, Are You Being Served, The Good Life, Blake's 7, To The Manor Born, Yes Minister, and yes, Dr. Who. Not to mention more recent favorites like Coupling, Father Ted, The Office, Ali G, Red Dwarf, etc etc etc.
When hollywood producers attempt to convert British shows to appeal to American humor, the results are often ghastly. Witness the short-lived US version of Coupling.
Listen, we know the effects will be silly and involve lousy CGI and cheap fireworks. It's all part of the charm. Who watched Dr. Who for the special effects anyway?
On the bright side, all of these shows will eventually become available on DVD. There's too much profit in it not to. Thanks, Suncoast.
m-
You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
Actually, I've wondered why SF has to be so realistic. What's wrong with having sets like a in a play, as long as they set the appropriate mood? Gives Dr Who / Blake's 7 / ST:TOS a whole new aspect. Hmmmm.... "Dr Who live", "Star Trek on ice"!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff