Idiot Box Blues

Posted by Mike Walsh

2/22/05 8:47 AM

In the good old days, it could take up to nine months for a blockbuster Hollywood movie release to finally screen in markets outside of the US. Once the Studios realised that cheap handycam dubs of their multi-million dollar films were being sold in Asian noodle markets hours after their release, they realised they had to simultaneously open in multiple markets.

Funnily enough, it now seems that piracy may also have a profound effect on the syndication of TV shows. A recent study by UK firm Envisonal found that trading of network television shows like "24," "Desperate Housewives" and "Six Feet Under" has increased dramatically -- 150 percent -- in the last year. The most interesting thing is that the biggest culprits of couch potato piracy were not Americans but the English.

Although surprising at first, the finding confirms the impact that the current sequencing of syndicated TV programs has on ancillary markets. These days the marketing ripples of big budget TV shows spread worldwide, and if there is a significant delay before the programs appear on television - audiences will increasingly take advantage of peer to peer trading networks such as BitTorrent to get an early screening.

Eventually, when TVs just become flat screens attached to a broadband connected media server, an "iTunes music store" for TV programming might be a good solution. In the meantime, however, TV program creators will need to be much more aggressive about pushing for a simultaneous global release of their franchises. Else, the premiere drama season is destined to be just a Summer rerun.


Topics: Media

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