BECAUSE I DO NOT BUY SHIT IF I DON'T KNOW IF I LIKE IT OR NOT.
This. So much this. Especially if it's something that's only available via purchase because it's been out for so long. I mean, the WB has season one of B5 up on their site for instant viewing (that they cut off the last five minutes of the first episode is another matter); but if they hadn't - downloading the episodes was going to be the only way that I had a clue that I was going to enjoy the show.
And the reality is, a lot of people I know end up buying the shows they've downloaded...even if they've downloaded them in full. Because they love them so much and want to rewatch them away from their computer or they want the bonus features or what have you. If people like stuff, they're going to buy it. But for a lot of things, there's no way to know if you like it until you download it.
Your point about AHS is perfect. It's such a ridiculous system that's online now, where some series' only allow sites like Hulu to show five episodes at a time (regardless of how many episodes are up that season), or even don't allow Hulu to show any current season episodes at all. What happens if you miss that week because you're on vacation, have a date, sleep through it, etc.? Not everyone has a DVR.
For that matter, not everyone has cable. I don't shell out for TV because I know that I can get everything I might possibly want to watch via the internet, and mostly legally. I wouldn't be counted in any initial viewings anyway.
From a television standpoint, what they need to do is make everything available, globally, immediately. This bullshit about airing some things in the UK six months before the US (Downton Abbey, I'm looking at you), and some things in the US six months to a year before the rest of the world (pretty much our entire exported lineup) is ridiculous. People will find a way to watch these shows the day they air in their respective countries. Stop making things available online in country-specific sites; make it global. Stop making things available the day after or the week after; make it immediate. And if you offer it for a relatively cheap subscription - or even stick Hulu-type ads within it - people will go there to get their entertainment cheaply and easily.
No one's downloading things because "ooo look at me I'm being illegal it's so deviant hehe." People are downloading things because it's the only viable option.
no subject
This. So much this. Especially if it's something that's only available via purchase because it's been out for so long. I mean, the WB has season one of B5 up on their site for instant viewing (that they cut off the last five minutes of the first episode is another matter); but if they hadn't - downloading the episodes was going to be the only way that I had a clue that I was going to enjoy the show.
And the reality is, a lot of people I know end up buying the shows they've downloaded...even if they've downloaded them in full. Because they love them so much and want to rewatch them away from their computer or they want the bonus features or what have you. If people like stuff, they're going to buy it. But for a lot of things, there's no way to know if you like it until you download it.
Your point about AHS is perfect. It's such a ridiculous system that's online now, where some series' only allow sites like Hulu to show five episodes at a time (regardless of how many episodes are up that season), or even don't allow Hulu to show any current season episodes at all. What happens if you miss that week because you're on vacation, have a date, sleep through it, etc.? Not everyone has a DVR.
For that matter, not everyone has cable. I don't shell out for TV because I know that I can get everything I might possibly want to watch via the internet, and mostly legally. I wouldn't be counted in any initial viewings anyway.
From a television standpoint, what they need to do is make everything available, globally, immediately. This bullshit about airing some things in the UK six months before the US (Downton Abbey, I'm looking at you), and some things in the US six months to a year before the rest of the world (pretty much our entire exported lineup) is ridiculous. People will find a way to watch these shows the day they air in their respective countries. Stop making things available online in country-specific sites; make it global. Stop making things available the day after or the week after; make it immediate. And if you offer it for a relatively cheap subscription - or even stick Hulu-type ads within it - people will go there to get their entertainment cheaply and easily.
No one's downloading things because "ooo look at me I'm being illegal it's so deviant hehe." People are downloading things because it's the only viable option.