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TV Industry Using Piracy As A Measure Of Success

Posted by Zonk on from the talking-out-of-both-sides-of-their-face dept.

mrspin writes "Last100 has an interesting post from Guinevere Orvis, a web producer who works in the broadcast industry, who describes the way in which 'unofficial' but sanctioned BitTorrent leaks are being used as a measurement of a TV show's likely success. Orvis writes: 'Broadcasters aren't posting their shows directly on PirateBay yet, but they are talking informally and giving copies of shows to a friend of a friend who is unaffiliated with the company to make a torrent ... it's partially an experiment, but the hope is that distribution of content this way will lead to new viewers that wouldn't have been reached through traditional marketing means.'"

5 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. Win-Win, or alternately catch-22 by teklob · · Score: 5, Funny

    And then if the show doesn't take off, they can always recoup their losses by suing the pirate...

  2. TV piracy is the oldest kind by Optikschmoptik · · Score: 5, Funny

    Because you can pick it up, unencrypted, right out of the radio spectrum just about anywhere. People have been stealing television content for years, with equipment kits you can buy at most garage sales.

    Some content providers have started to insert commercials both as a deterrent against stealing content, and as a way to recoup the massive losses. Advanced piracy tools already have hacked this system, with things like a 'mute' button.

    I oppose the mute button on moral grounds. Also, I am miserable.

  3. Re:Makes Sense... by Penguinisto · · Score: 1, Funny

    How would you feel if you made a product so bad that no one would steal it?

    I could always ask Microsoft, I guess. Their answer seems to be a simultaneous slackening of WGA lock-out behavior with a grand marketing announcement as to how well their anti-piracy efforts are going (50-some-odd-percent, was it?). Not exactly sure how to translate that for the TV industry, though...

    /P

    --
    Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
  4. Re:Good Idea by Thelasko · · Score: 2, Funny

    The only thing worse than watching Bionic Woman is being sued for downloading it.

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  5. Re:Where are these new tv shows? by Mr2001 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Boy, I'll say! But you know what was really shitty - that time when I went to Sea World with Bruce Springsteen and Mike Wallace... [cutaway gag]

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