As stated in a previous blog entry, as Australian television
viewers we’re often forced to wait lengthy periods of time to watch our
favourite shows. Because of this, in conjunction with increasing access to faster
and faster internet speeds, it’s unsurprising that Australia is now notorious
for high rates of television piracy.
When Game of Thrones aired
its Season 3 premiere at the end of March, it was watched by 5.5 million viewers
in the US. It was then pirated by at least 5.2 million people, with the
majority being from Australia (Ernesto, 2013).
US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich (Source: News.com.au)
This led to Jeffrey Bleich, the US ambassador to Australia, condemning
the actions of pirates. He argued that the cost of purchasing the series (or
access to it), and the lag time between its airing in the US and Australia is
not a good enough excuse to blatantly steal the product (Piotrowski, 2013).
At the time, Australians could purchase a season pass for $33.99
on iTunes, or sign up to a Foxtel subscription nearing $75 a month to watch the
show. However, recently Foxtel signed a deal with HBO, meaning that the show
can only be digitally downloaded after the entire
season has aired on Foxtel first (LeMay, 2013). When Season 4 airs in 2014, the
only legal timely method for Australians to view Game of Thrones will be through Foxtel.
Comic on The Oatmeal on Game of Thrones and piracy. Warning: a little NSFW. (Source: Kotaku)
Humorously, Time Warner Inc. CEO Jeff Bewkes has linked the
piracy of Thrones to an increase in
the number of subscriptions to HBO, saying that the positive word-of-mouth
reviews generated by piracy provides them with more revenue at the end of the
day (Spangler, 2013).
And this isn’t such a crazy idea. Many people have pointed
out that those who acquire a digital product via free methods and then don’t
purchase it in the end were likely never going to purchase it in the first
place. As Doctorow (2008, p. 71) says, “I haven’t lost any sales, I’ve just won
an audience”.
When a CEO says that the huge levels of piracy is “better
than an Emmy” (Bewkes, cited in Spangler, 2013), it’s probably time to consider
whether the negative stigma attached to it is justified.
Sources
Doctorow C, 2008 Context, Tachyon Publications, San Francisco
Ernesto 2013, ‘Top 10 most pirated tv-shows of the season’ TorrentFreak, 22 June, retrieved 19 August 2013, <http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-tv-shows-of-the-season-130622/>
Doctorow C, 2008 Context, Tachyon Publications, San Francisco
Ernesto 2013, ‘Top 10 most pirated tv-shows of the season’ TorrentFreak, 22 June, retrieved 19 August 2013, <http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-tv-shows-of-the-season-130622/>
LeMay, R 2013, ‘Foxtel locks up game of thrones: no more
fast-tracked itunes downloads’ Delimiter,
14 May, retrieved 18 August 2013, <http://delimiter.com.au/2013/05/14/foxtel-locks-up-game-of-thrones-no-more-fast-tracked-itunes-downloads/>
Piotrowski, D 2013, ‘US ambassador explains his fight
against game of thrones piracy’ News.com.au,
3 May, retrieved 18 August 2013, <http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/us-ambassador-explains-his-fight-against-game-of-thrones-piracy/story-e6frfmyi-1226634534605>
Spangler, T 2013, ‘Time warner’s bewkes: piracy of hbo ‘game
of thrones’ is ‘better than an emmy’’ Variety,
7 August, retrieved 18 August 2013, <http://variety.com/2013/digital/news/time-warners-bewkes-piracy-of-hbo-game-of-thrones-is-better-than-an-emmy-1200575271/>
Rhys, this is a really great post!
ReplyDeleteYou really managed to engage me at the beginning of your post with your brief yet concise background and statistics regarding how many people actually pirated Game Of Thrones in comparison to those who watched legally. Including Time Warner Inc. CEO Jeff Bewkes opinion on the issue really captivated both a negative and positive overview of television piracy and made the argument a lot more original. This piece really makes you question the effects of piracy on television networks.
The structure of your blog made it easy to follow and the use of imagery really enhanced your argument in an entertaining way.
Great work!
Hi Rhys
ReplyDeleteI thought your post correctly addressed the most common problem regarding piracy – the timely unavailability of shows such as Game of Thrones causing people to seek alternate approaches of viewing. Pay TV marginalizes its audiences through this, and in a sense provokes piracy when shows aren’t available. It seems that the laws of piracy have not adequately adapted to modern times with the use of torrents. If there was availability to directly download the shows seamlessly with the airing date at a cost per unit it could aid in combatting this. Although it seems the dystopian connotation held on piracy often supplants any rational arguments on the ‘try before you buy’ front. Your exemplification on both the positive and negative affects through scholarly sources show that there is in fact utopian views shared on piracy – from winning audiences to spreading the popularity of shows such as Game of Thrones.
Your visuals added a nice witty touch to the post and suited the context of the post. Links could have perhaps helped u expand on the current levels of accessibility, which is one of the main issues influencing piracy.
Overall, this post was an interesting example of the issue of piracy, great job
Hey man, really enjoyed this post, its the sort of thing everyone can relate to, especially when talking about Game of Thrones. I know myself and countless other friends are guilty of pirating, and the little cartoon in the middle of your post perfectly displays what I was feeling when someone first showed me just how easy it is to do. Not everyone is able to afford Foxtel, and I feel you've accurately explored why people do pirate shows in the first place. I think its great that you have actually found CEO's and creators of the show who think the piracy is a good thing, and that the negative stigma around piracy may be dwindling in the next few years. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Rhys
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting post from the get-go, I knew Game of Thrones was popular but I'd not seen the statistics and those numbers are huge. I thought your evidence engagement was sound, you clearly researched alot to write the post, but a bit more from the prescribed reading might have added a bit more academic weight to the article. I liked your use of images to break the text up, and I thought the thematic design of your blog really complimented your post and the photos in this instance.