How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV

Found on Mindjack on Saturday, 14 May 2005
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The average viewer of the SciFi network is young and decidedly geeky. They are masters of media; they can find ways to get things they shouldn't have. Thus, a few hours after airing on SkyOne, "33" was available for Internet download. No news there.

While you might assume the SciFi Channel saw a significant drop-off in viewership as a result of this piracy, it appears to have had the reverse effect: the series is so good that the few tens of thousands of people who watched downloaded versions told their friends to tune in on January 14th, and see for themselves.

Audiences are technically savvy these days; they can and will find a way to get any television programming they desire. They don't want to pay for it, they don't want it artificially crippled with any digital rights management technologies - they just want to watch it. Now. This is the way that half a century of television and a decade of the Web has conditioned them to behave. We can't really complain that audiences are simply doing as they've been told.

I suggest to read the original article; it's impossible to sum it up with just a few lines. Not only because of its length, but also since it contains so much valueable information. It describes the current situation for TV-P2P and also gives a look at the problems the producers face at the moment (and also offers ideas for solutions). Traditional business models of the entertainment industry have reached a dead-end; it's time for a change. Lawsuits can't stop it.