Ah, crap, the Beeb is onto us

The BBC said: File-sharers' TV tastes revealed By Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent, BBC News Top Gear is popular with file-sharers in the US Millions of television viewers are now using illegal file-sharing services to access free and unauthorised copies of programmes, research has revealed. US drama Heroes was the most popular illegal download this year, according to research firm Big Champagne. Around 55 million people downloaded the show, whilst 51 million chose to access Lost, the second most popular show. Visits to leading "torrent" sites, which index video and music files, have also nearly doubled in the last year. The proportion of file-sharing involving films and television rather than music is continuing to rise, the research shows. "Millions of television viewers now access free, unauthorised versions of favourite shows at least some of the time," says Eric Garland the chief executive of Big Champagne. "This is a socially acceptable form of casual piracy - and it is replacing viewing hours." Film show All of the programmes in the top 10 were American, but the survey also examined unauthorised downloads of popular BBC show Top Gear. Most Popular Film Torrents Watchmen; 16,906,452 The Curious case of Benjamin Button; 13, 133, 137 Yes Man; 13,038,364 Twilight; 11,632,645 Fast and Furious; 10,613,668 Gran Tourino; 9,880,700 Marley and Me; 9,099,219 Slumdog Millionaire; 8,840,884 Bolt; 8,690,633 Australia; 8,628,012 During the most recent series, the figures show around 300,000 downloads of each episode in the days immediately following their broadcast in the UK. But the UK accounted for just 4% of the download activity, with 47% coming from the United States. Big Champagne says Top Gear has been among the most pirated television programmes internationally. The series appears on BBC America some time after it is shown in the UK, and it appears that some American fans are eager to download it before it is available legally. The research also looks at unauthorised film downloads and shows they are getting lower audiences than those for TV programmes. Most Popular TV Torrents Heroes; 54,562,012 Lost; 51,151,396 24; 34,119,093 Prison Break; 29,283,591 House; 26,277,954 Fringe; 21,434,755 Desperate Housewives; 21,378,412 Grey's Anatomy; 19,916,775 Gossip Girl; 19,706,870 Smallville; 19,598,999 Top of the chart was Watchmen, downloaded nearly 17 million times, followed by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with 13 million. The Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, a relatively low budget film compared with the two Hollywood blockbusters, was viewed by nearly 9 million unauthorised downloaders. The research will be presented on Saturday at the Edinburgh Television Festival in a session on what television can learn from the music industry's experience with online piracy. Mr Garland says there are major differences between the two industries and the impact on television may not be as severe as some TV executives fear: "We may see a lot of disruption but it is premature to say 'we're next'." "The effect on the business is going to be very different." Big Champagne's research also shows that the rate of piracy for live events, such as sport or talent shows, is much lower than that for popular drama series.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8224869.stm

Funny that Lost and Heroes top the list as you can watch them right on the networks website about a week after the first broadcast.

If Top Gear were legally available for download in the US, I'd watch it that way. Hell, if I got BBC America I'd watch it on air. Wait, I've got school in the evenings. Which means I'd still have to download it. Let's hear it for legal download. I'll take the commercials.

I just wanna see the whole thing, not the watered down version we get here.

mtn wrote: I just wanna see the whole thing, not the watered down version we get here.

x2. I don't know why BBC feels it has to dumb-down everything it puts on BBC America (including the news!), but it kind of misses the point about why I want to see BBC stuff in the first place..

friedgreencorrado wrote:

mtn wrote: I just wanna see the whole thing, not the watered down version we get here.

x2. I don't know why BBC feels it has to dumb-down everything it puts on BBC America (including the news!), but it kind of misses the point about why I want to see BBC stuff in the first place..

Well, the reason for us not getting the whole episodes is pretty easy and makes a lot of sense: They don't have commercials over there. BBC America does. One hour time slot, one hour of footage... Stuff gets cut for us.
Doesn't make me like it any better.

mtn wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote:

mtn wrote: I just wanna see the whole thing, not the watered down version we get here.

x2. I don't know why BBC feels it has to dumb-down everything it puts on BBC America (including the news!), but it kind of misses the point about why I want to see BBC stuff in the first place..

Well, the reason for us not getting the whole episodes is pretty easy and makes a lot of sense: They don't have commercials over there. BBC America does. One hour time slot, one hour of footage... Stuff gets cut for us. Doesn't make me like it any better.

I hate you!

You've provided more ammo for anti-capitalists here in the US.

oldsaw wrote:

mtn wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote:

mtn wrote: I just wanna see the whole thing, not the watered down version we get here.

x2. I don't know why BBC feels it has to dumb-down everything it puts on BBC America (including the news!), but it kind of misses the point about why I want to see BBC stuff in the first place..

Well, the reason for us not getting the whole episodes is pretty easy and makes a lot of sense: They don't have commercials over there. BBC America does. One hour time slot, one hour of footage... Stuff gets cut for us. Doesn't make me like it any better.

I hate you! You've provided more ammo for anti-capitalists here in the US.

I guess in that case, I hate myself...

mtn wrote: Well, the reason for us not getting the whole episodes is pretty easy and makes a lot of sense: They don't have commercials over there. BBC America does. One hour time slot, one hour of footage... Stuff gets cut for us.

Yep, but we get to pay the BBC for the privilege of being able to watch TV as we have to buy a TV license if we own something that's capable of receiving terrestrial TV. So that's roughly $200/year just for the privilege of turning on the TV - of course if you've got cable that's extra etc...

And don't get me started on the company they outsource the fee collection to, otherwise I'll be ranting on for the rest of the day.

BoxheadTim wrote:

mtn wrote: Well, the reason for us not getting the whole episodes is pretty easy and makes a lot of sense: They don't have commercials over there. BBC America does. One hour time slot, one hour of footage... Stuff gets cut for us.

Yep, but we get to pay the BBC for the privilege of being able to watch TV as we have to buy a TV license if we own something that's capable of receiving terrestrial TV. So that's roughly $200/year just for the privilege of turning on the TV - of course if you've got cable that's extra etc... And don't get me started on the company they outsource the fee collection to, otherwise I'll be ranting on for the rest of the day.

Never thought about that... And BBC America is only available on cable, unless I'm much mistaken.

In order to make it more suitable for US content restrictions, they just need to replace any reference to the human body anatomy with gratuitous violence. Then they can air it right after Spongebob.

But seriously, can "traditional" media just get their heads out of the sand? The internet has been a serious competitor of eyeball hours for over a decade now. There are no excuses now. I thought that one of the first elements of a successful business is give the customers what they want. If more people are downloading your show than watching it live, it is a pretty clear indicator that the model needs to be changed. I seriously think that American networks just hung up their thinking caps as soon as Survivor aired.

"Okay, okay, we'll have this CONTEST! And it will have REAL PEOPLE! And they will be doing... NOTHING, and be VERY ANGRY! And then we'll do it AGAIN! and AGAIN!" "Frank, you are a genius!"

I do happen to have BBC America and I Have Tivoed every "New Episode" in the last 6 months. I am thinking about purchasing the DVD’s but wondering if it is the “Good” version or the American version. I have even considered getting a UK ISP VPN.

I guess that I should also say that I watch it when it is on (in addition to recording it).

Butch_86 wrote: I do happen to have BBC America and I Have Tivoed every "New Episode" in the last 6 months. I am thinking about purchasing the DVD’s but wondering if it is the “Good” version or the American version. I have even considered getting a UK ISP VPN.

Dunno about the DVDs they sell in the US but keep in mind that if you "acquire" a UK IP address and use BBC iPlayer, the downloads can only be played for a week. Basically you have a week to download the show after it aired, then 30 days to start watching it and it'll self-destruct after 7 days once you started watching it.

My main reason to use iPlayer is that my TV reception blows so I get much better quality just downloading the show.

oldsaw wrote:

mtn wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote:

mtn wrote: I just wanna see the whole thing, not the watered down version we get here.

x2. I don't know why BBC feels it has to dumb-down everything it puts on BBC America (including the news!), but it kind of misses the point about why I want to see BBC stuff in the first place..

Well, the reason for us not getting the whole episodes is pretty easy and makes a lot of sense: They don't have commercials over there. BBC America does. One hour time slot, one hour of footage... Stuff gets cut for us. Doesn't make me like it any better.

I hate you! You've provided more ammo for anti-capitalists here in the US.

Three words:

Add Product Placement. /Issue

I watched my 1st "full" episode on bbcAmerica... it got me hooked... i DVR'd all of them... then I discovered final gear... and noticed the HUGE differences...

I still DVR them just for boring days when I want to lay on the couch... but I still keep tem on my computer

there are some other bbcAmerica things I record though... haven't looked to see if they are different vs the true BBC version

I think Top Gear is one of the few things I'd pay for. Only if it were a uncut, clean download. I mean, I've got my beefs with the show, but over all it's fantastic.

Now I am watching on casttv.com. To bad the quality isn't as good as hessmo.com was and they dont have all the episodes. But I am looking at a buting what I can on iTunes.

Time for the media companies to get with it. They are so busy trying to figure out how to sell commercial free media, when that's not the ticket. I personally don't mind commercials that much. They are a part of life. They are on the billboards of the highways I drive. They are in the magazines I read. I even see them when I search the web for something. I'm used to it.

What I want is to watch TV when it suits me. If I want to watch Lost or Heroes at 3pm on Saturday, then let me watch it then. If I want to see Top Gear in the US when it airs on the BBC, then let me watch it at that time. I just want to watch what I want, when I want. On demand is the future, commercial free, not so much. The problem is that none of the networks and media companies have realized this.

So they fret the loss of control over people not watching in the time slots, because they can charge more for some time slots than others. In a digital, on demand world, time slots are an obsolete concept, and we've been trending toward that on demand world for 15 years now. What they need to do is stop treating their online viewers as redheaded step children. Instead, they should form an industry wide ratings system and figure out how to sell advertisers on the popularity of a show rather than on the time it's being shown. They should also figure out how to better analyze data on how people are watching TV online, and they can again use that to sell more ad space for on demand TV.

BAMF, many of the networks will actually let you watch shows on demand. NBC.com, offers current shows as well as older stuff like Miami Vice. Just go to NBC.com. Same with CBS.com. Same with ABC.com. Same with ComedyCentral.com, and probably others I haven't bothered to check out. The BBC puts big chunks of Top Gear on YouTube.

So maybe some of the networks have realized it...

My initial thought was that "The Beeb" was slang for Muslim Terrorists. Is it just me?

poopshovel wrote: Is it just me?

My mind too went there instantly.

poopshovel wrote: My initial thought was that "The Beeb" was slang for Muslim Terrorists. Is it just me?

I thought BMX was slang for Muslim terrorists.

Bearded Muslim X-temists :)

Keith wrote: BAMF, many of the networks will actually let you watch shows on demand. NBC.com, offers current shows as well as older stuff like Miami Vice. Just go to NBC.com. Same with CBS.com. Same with ABC.com. Same with ComedyCentral.com, and probably others I haven't bothered to check out. The BBC puts big chunks of Top Gear on YouTube. So maybe some of the networks have realized it...

I think they are getting there. I think the fact that they are getting together to do things like Hulu also means that they are figuring out that it's not a fad.

However, the fact that they want to block Boxee from accessing Hulu content so people can watch internet TV on a real TV says to me that they don't fully get it yet.

Nope it is because Hulu has their own desktop application so they wanted to kill the competition. Bob Costas.

we dont get the full version because theyre smart Gentlmen and we're dumb yanks