Comments on: The ‘Lost’ Paradox: Why Some Free Shows On The Web Are So Heavily Pirated http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/ The economics of digital content Fri, 13 Dec 2013 18:54:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Johannes http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81622 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:07:00 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81622 I think the main problem really is that most people are not able (or don’t know how) to connect their PC to their TV. I don’t know if it’s true for the US, but in Europe nearly every cheap DVD-Player can play divx files either stored in disc or on a usb-stick. So you download it via torrent, put it on a stick and watch it on your tv. Even if hulu would be available in Europe that wouldn’t be possible.

That LOST is only available with a delay to international viewers isn’t completely true. You could get the 6th season one day after the US-airing-date on the german iTunes store. It was in english with german subtitles. So you could buy it on your iPhone, connect your iPhone with the component cable to your TV and watch LOST. Sure it was pretty expensive (2,49 Eur/Episode) but I think it’s a step in the right direction and I hope that more and more shows will be available like this in the future.

]]> By: Michael Herzog http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81621 Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:56:54 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81621 Makes extreme sense. Hulu.com is not for available for viewers in most of the world and us Europeans like to get our weekly Lost fix when the show airs – not weeks or even months later when our local networks decide to put their dubbed versions on the air. Plus I can see the show in 720p, I think Pro7 still airs Lost in 576i.

]]> By: Alterschwede http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81620 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 23:50:50 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81620 Also consider this: Hulu, is not really free the content might be available to people within us borders but the restrictions set upon such content and how one can use it are immense. I for one used to proxy my internet through a us proxy so that i could watch hulu from europe but they quickly patched that whole and now I can no longer watch any content on Hulu.com or location restricted YouTube.com videos.

So off course I am going to pirate that stuff. Plus if you live abroad and don’t have access to the tv guide you rely on eztv.it and other sites with build in calanders(or piratebay’s top 100 list) to find the new shoes that are hot that day. Much more convenient then browsing through IMDb or Hulu’s catalouge.

]]> By: hercircumstance http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81619 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:35:13 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81619 The archive thing is a factor for US viewers, but a lot of it seems to be the creative side of tv fandom too. People make music videos they post on youtube, screen caps for web/print media etc, and use audio clips for podcasts and mashups… the easiest and quickest source of high quality material is still through torrents.

]]> By: Jacqui http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81618 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:34:32 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81618 The #1 reason I, and my friends, choose to pirate vs. use a legitimate streaming service is the ability to stream the episode directly to my TV. I can download a show in 10-15 minutes, kick back and watch it on my 52″ HDTV, pause it if I need to get a drink, etc. Why would I want to watch a lower-quality, commercial-laden version at my computer? Even if I hook my laptop up to the TV and stream Hulu that way, it’s still not as convenient (my laptop doesn’t have a remote control…) or as high-quality as a downloaded version. Additionally, TV shows are often available on bittorrent sites within an hour of airing, versus days later for streaming sites.

]]> By: DS http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81617 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:47:03 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81617 I don’t think the “archive” hypothesis is very well-informed, at least when it comes to Bittorrent.

It may hold true for only a very few programs, Lost being the most obvious example, Lost being an especially addictive, serial drama with a story arc that spans every episode of every season. “Binge viewing,” well outside the in-season window is pretty commonplace w/ this show, so there’s a strong argument for this series to be available legally in perpetuity, especially if it’s also regularly available on Bittorrent (which may not be a given considering its age – I can’t check myself right now) .

Bittorrent downloads tend to take place within a very short window following the linear broadcast according to some of the data that’s available from third party sources. For serials, activity tends to peak the night of, and day after, the linear TV broadcast, and drops off very sharply during the next few days. The patterns can differ a bit depending on the type of program, but broadly speaking, they are consistent with the catch-up behavior you see on legal services.

In fact, it’s often the case that, as a Bittorrent user, you’ll even have trouble finding tv shows that are much older than a couple of weeks.

(Note:I’ve worked in this exact space since 2005…)

]]> By: contentnext http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81616 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:12:28 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81616 It’s not just selection and not checking the valid sources. The quality of the torrent downloads is usually much better. You can find great quality high definition versions with surround sound audio in torrent form for pretty much any show you want. On Hulu only Hulu+ shows get HD quality video and audio stays in stereo. I suspect that’s by design, and it obviously only affects those viewers who care about such things. However, it’s probably also true that viewers willing to take the extra time and effort to pirate something are being motived by something along those lines.

]]> By: Joseph Tartakoff http://paidcontent.org/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81615 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:50:12 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/01/07/419-the-lost-paradox-why-some-free-shows-on-the-web-are-so-heavily-pirated/#comment-81615 Another possible reason: When somebody gets used to using BitTorrent to get content they might not bother to check to see if it’s also available for free elsewhere. When I was traveling in Europe last week, the default among the people I was visiting was just to use BitTorrent to find shows and movies. Nobody talked about any other options. The selection is obviously great and it works.

– Joe Tartakoff, paidContent.org

]]>