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MTV Takes on P2P by Making South Park Free

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the oh-my-god-they-killed-viacom dept.

thefickler writes "MTV Networks, the biggest division of Viacom Inc., has announced plans to make every South Park episode available online for free as part of a plan to make the show available to a larger audience." This is apparently largely because of the success of a similar project where they put every episode of The Daily Show on-line a few months back. This action didn't hurt ratings, and it may have actually helped them.

10 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. too late by Azeroth48 · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.southparkzone.com/ been there done that Oo

    --
    This is where we are, our rock we stand, among the world, looking forward, eternally.
  2. Did they consult their customers? by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Interesting

    No, don't be silly. Not the people watching TV.

    I was talking about the various networks around the globe that license Southpark, often first of all having to dub it. That this takes time is a given (it's gotten better in the past years, but it's still about a season difference, give or take).

    When I can watch a show online, why bother waiting for our networks to dub it? Yes, I "have to" watch it in English, but then again, usually that's the better version anyway. Anyone who has ever watched The Simpsons in German will agree.

    So, any response from the networks? I mean, I don't know about the Daily Show (never heard of it, actually, and possibly not as much an export as SP is), but a show like Southpark which is being licensed widely might cause some negative reaction from the networks licensing it.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. DVD Sales by Paralizer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As far as I know the Daily Show is not available on DVD, whereas South Park is. So if you wanted to watch the Daily Show and you didn't have Comedy Central, your only option was to pirate the episodes; making them available for free online made sense. But with South Park you can buy the DVDs, so making them available for free online would only hurt their DVD sales (unless of course the downloads are of very poor quality).

    1. Re:DVD Sales by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, because the artistic quality of Southpark is a definite selling point. Watching that in YouTube quality would certainly hurt the show.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. Re:I wouldn't watch the shit even if I were paid by Alphager · · Score: 5, Funny

    South Park is the worst fucking piece of shit out there. The only ones who watch it are the fucktarded sheeple who should be eliminated from the gene pool. Interestingly enough, that could have been a quote fromS outhpark.
  5. Daily Show by RonnyJ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is apparently largely because of the success of a similar project where they put every episode of The Daily Show on-line a few months back. This action didn't hurt ratings, and it may have actually helped them.
    Two weeks after all the past episodes were put online, The Daily Show had to shut down production due to the writers strike. I doubt those two weeks are really enough to make any solid conclusions from. It's strange though, I'd have expected ratings to drop considerably after that, considering there weren't any new episodes to air (or are the ratings referencing only those two weeks?)

    I'm sure that putting them online wouldn't noticably hurt ratings (or perhaps could even increase them), but I don't think that you can evidence much from those two weeks.

  6. Re:I wouldn't watch the shit even if I were paid by meringuoid · · Score: 5, Funny
    South Park is the worst fucking piece of shit out there. The only ones who watch it are the fucktarded sheeple who should be eliminated from the gene pool.

    You forgot to say 'Screw you guys, I'm going home'.

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  7. Re:Incidentally... by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Isn't it great? My girlfriend started downloading documentaries to make up for the lack, and we've learned about a whole host of different things. It's amazing how little you miss the crap they churn out.

    Did you hear the one about the crack dealer who went on strike? Where all his clients cleaned themselves up and the market disappeared?

    No, me neither. Guess crack dealers are smarter than the Writers Guild.

    --
    -1 Uncomfortable Truth
  8. Re:Incidentally... by SydShamino · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm an engineer. It takes a lot of skill and creativity to make products work on first revision. Guess what? I don't get residuals for work I did last year, last month, or any time before my last paycheck. I don't need residuals to retire because I, you know, save money.

    Both of my parents were writers and editors at one point, for the newspaper industry. Neither of them got any residuals, either. I don't suppose you continue to write residual checks to the artists that designed your car, or your sofa, or you house, either?

    No advertising, no residual payments... not fair?

    Go on strike and get a better contract. The law allows you to do that. But in no way do most of the working world consider this "unfair" to the special subset of people who feel that they need to be paid for the rest of their life for one momentary spark years ago. And when the time comes around that we can finally change copyright back to 50 years, thereby cutting off residuals for thousands of older writers or their descendants, you won't find me or most other people on Slashdot complaining.

    --
    It doesn't hurt to be nice.
  9. someone @ riaa.. by surfi · · Score: 5, Funny

    oh my god! they'r killing the recording industry! You BASTARDS!