Giving us TV bigger, better, faster and legal.
Giving Australians affordable, online content will combat TV piracy says a leading consumer mag.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News, Top Stories
Media companies should offer content like Arrested Development and Hemlock Grove to Australians at an affordable, online price if they want to combat piracy says CHOICE magazine.
This month the consumer magazine compared the prices of Foxtel and Quickflix against the pricing of Netflix, which is only available overseas.
But by using unblocking methods such as paid services unblock-us.com and blockless.tv, or browser plug-ins like Hola, consumers can subscribe to Netflix in the US and view content faster and cheaper than Australian subscription services. And it’s entirely legal.
Consumers understand that paying for content is necessary to keep high-cost TV shows and movies in production. In many instances, illegal downloading has become commonplace because media companies have failed to keep up with changing consumer viewing habits and technology.
The success of legal music streaming services such as Spotify in Australia shows that consumers are willing to pay for content if they can get it when and how they want it.
Spotify offers a free ad-based service, as well as a premium ad-free one. Australasian managing director Kate Vale believes that Spotify provides a legal alternative to piracy, which contributes to its success.
“[Piracy] was huge in Australia,” Ms Vale said in May this year. “What has been shown in other markets is that when we do a launch, piracy does go down.”
TV and movie studios need to adapt to the changing world and give Australian consumers better access to content at more competitive prices. This presents new commercial possibilities for them, and is also the best way of taking incentives away from piracy.
Appealing to governments to crack down on illegal downloading through punitive measures such as the three-strikes law – which can strip consumers of important essential services – is the wrong path.
Provide consumers with an accessible, affordable and legal alternative to piracy, and they will take it.
CHOICE is even advocating a social media campaign to spread the word. “Don’t play by their rules” it insists.
However it neglected to mention Foxtel will launch its IPTV service Foxtel Play in mid-August.
The Australian reports the Play service will allow consumers to watch programs from more than 40 channels across multiple internet connected devices including selected connected TVs and games consoles at home as well as with compatible smartphones, tablets and PC and Mac computers through the Foxtel Go app. Foxtel Play will not require lock-in contracts and channel packages will start from $25 a month.
“That will liberate for a lot of people who have found Foxtel to be cost-prohibitive,” Brian Walsh said this week.
“It will allow a lot of people who could not afford Foxtel before to get a Foxtel product over the net on to their PCs or on to their smart TVs.”
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- Tagged with Arrested Development, Hemlock Grove
30 Responses
My ideal service would be to have TV (and Movies), in a cloud service that I pay a monthly fee on, something like the music services of a Rdio, Spotify, Mog. Where those are about $12 pm to have unlimited access to listen to any music I want to to any time of day, be happy to pay for that (even if it was $50 pm/$600 per year).
I’m a little tired of Foxtel and other networks offering multi device viewing options – essentially just bells and whistles to compliment a mediocre service, rather than actually just getting the content to air asap. Yes, Foxtel screens some content on a “fast track” basis but overall…there is still such a lag to view some series. I still despise “fast track” as really in the glorious days of satellite and cable/digital global communication there is no acceptable reason why we are held to ransom months on end waiting for a show to screen. What will $25 get you? I can’t see you being able to watch much for that but expect further pricing plans for tiered packages.
@poss As David said not up to the Networks to put shows on iTunes. It’s up to the makers and there’d be the same distribution deal in place when the Networks have bought the shows, to have the exclusive first run of a series before it airs or can be sold in any other way.
Personally I would like to see a use it or lose it policy for Aust shows in the contracts, they have a year to play the show, if they don’t Foxtel can have it (or who ever) and it can be released on BluRay/DVD. That needs to change for Hulu/Netflix to work here as well, otherwise the Networks will just keep hanging on to shows and nothing will change to how it is now.
Hallelujah! In my instance this definitely is the case, I am more than happy to pay a reasonable price to watch my programmes and I do so. However, some shows are really hard to get. At the moment I use 3 different DVD stores to hire series but they are still pretty limited in what they stock, for instance, none of them have the Australian version of Wilfred, carry anything past season 1 of Nurse Jackie or stock Six Feet Under. I simply cannot afford to purchase all the DVDs of the shows I’d like to see but I would like to be able to hire them or download them digitally at a fair price. I download Dexter on iTunes but it is so very expensive, I only do that because I am addicted to it! It’s very frustrating because I want to do the right thing but feel I have no alternative.
On the flipside though some overseas people want to watch Aussie productions but most of the time cant due to geo locking on our catch up sites. Heard many times British saying they hate when an actor/ess leaves H&A coz they cant see them on anything else
@camreed, thank you!
Which begs the question, why won’t 7 put the rest of the episodes on iTunes? It seems to me they don’t want to put the show on Tv but they also don’t allow anyone the option to pay to watch it! until they get around to airing them??
Poss: it’s not up to Seven to put shows on iTunes unless they have produced them.
I would look into any service that would allow me to watch my shows within a reasonable time frame. It feels like I’m never going to be able to see drop dead diva again due to poor treatment from nine.
look david all the American programms that are airing in Australia on the free to air networks would dominate if the networks wouldn’t screw around with putting it on then putting it back on different day & on a late time slot then that makes people frustrated & download & its the fta networks fault that Australia is the biggest download country in the world
Like The Americans? A US cable hit with critical raves, still airing on the same night it started in Australia but to terrible numbers. Australian illegal downloads per capita are high (includes music) but what source are you quoting for Australia as the biggest in the world?
@poss Probably wouldn’t affect our Free To Airs much at all, really what Hulu and Netflix do with shows that are on the Netorks in the US is show them the day after they have aired on those channels (NBC, CBS etc).
For instance I am able to watch Hulu and Netflix, so last week watched Suits and Covert Affairs on Hulu the day after it aired in the US (so even Cable is next day). Both those were on the free Hulu (with an ad), however what will likely happen is that will move to the pay Hulu + for the remaing episodes (as that is usually what happens). Bones is there for the entire season 8 on Hulu + however none of that happened until the episodes had aired already.
So same model would apply here, though I wonder if that would mean that Hulu/Netflix get them before or after Foxtel. As it stands now, Foxtel gets the likes of Bones and etc after it has aired on Free To Air (as do…
I agree David, White Collar might not be a ratings winner, but for the dedicated fans like me, Why should I have to wait so long for it to come to dvd. If ten doesn’t plan to air it, then release it on dvd.
I agree there should be some sort of ability for Australians to download shows when they become available. Both free with ads and pay without ads. If they were serious about the so called problem.
That said tonight I had to wait for hours for the internet to work again. So it is a pipe dream for me. Although I don’t blame those that take it up so they miss out on the crazy stuff that is put on the screen. It would be the only reason I would be tempted. Because except for a few shows like Doctor Who I don’t generally think it the end of the world to wait weeks or months.
probably one way to stop online piracy is to get rid of all the Australian crap that is on tv many Australians want American programming because its soo good & free to air networks need to pick smart get great shows stop picking cancel shows and finish airing great shows like bones,suits,put season four of white collar,return royal pains,warehouse 13 season 4 & stop putting shows on really late hours of the night
There is a market for (some) premium US cable dramas such as Game of Thrones, The Newsroom yet The Americans has not taken hold. Many of the shows you mention have not attracted big audiences (White Collar? Suits? Royal Pains?) while Australian shows dominate our screens.
just order the Dvds on amazon. screw the free to air networks.
SBS is up to season 8 of Shameless UK yet only the first four seasons are available. it is bullshit.
as for white collar. If it wasn’t for some late night channel surfing I wouldn’t have came across season 3 on SoHo.
I don’t understand why the networks don’t just fast track everything. If something Isn’t getting the ratings then bump it, but if it’s off the air longer than 3 month’s it will be released on dvd to the public.
I am sick and tired of having to wait years for shows to air here just so I can get them on dvd.
shit needs to change.
@ TasTVcameraman I gave up on White collar. 10 mucked about with it and I don’t know why I have to wait so long for the DVD in Australia. The networks can’t program their shows and then make us wait and wait for the DVDs.
ABC are just as guilty. I am waiting for season 7 of Wild at Heart and that aired in the UK early 2012 and ABC haven’t screened the last three seasons!
Commercial TV will go the way of magazines and newspapers if they keep this disgusting behaviour going!
Just fast track everything that is popular, foxtel should ditch there premium entertainment channel Showcase, We are all ready paying for these shows. why do we need to pay even more?
@Dalmanic.. yes i am well aware of that, Fox also allows their customers a chance to watch their shows online!
Frankly i could quite happily live without watching commercial TV … i watch mostly foxtel anyway.
What i was wondering is how this would effect commercial tv?
Poss, season 8 of Bones (24 episodes) has been shown overseas.
It finished on 29th April.
Another season has been confirmed.
Good luck trying to see it on 7!
Could someone enlighten me as to how this works.
7 has the rights to Bones but don’t show them on their catch-up service, instead they are on iTunes.
In Australia i can only watch up to as far as 7 has shown episode 15 on iTunes ……. my question is this ……. If this came available tomorrow, then, why would a commercial channel even buy the rights to a show.
Frankly i think commercial TV in Australia stinks, but would this actually give them a swift kick to fast track shows?
The fact is while networks treat the viewers with contempt and while geo blocking makes it impossible to find some shows even if youre willing to pay piracy is only going to increase.
Yes Foxtel’s packages start from $25 a month, but what does it cost to get what is worth watching?
We shall see when it launches.
We don’t want Hemlock Grove. Trust me.
But first Telstra or someone has to be able to give me something better than a wireless internet connection here in suburban Wollongong.
Bring it on I say. I want a service which will allow me to download episodes of say Suits and white Collar as soon as they have screened in the USA, and i do not mind paying for it.
we are in the really stupid situation here of getting DVD’s from overseas because they have not been released here, and no firm date for release. For example “White Collar” season 3 was slated for release in Feb of this year, then Apr, then June. I have got mine from Amazon. If Australian companies are crying out about people buying online give us what we want now.
It’s the way of the future, I don’t know why Australia is so slow to adapt. Quickflix are getting there, but not quite there yet. It will happen… just gotta be patient. In the meantime, there are plenty of alternatives….