I think that's unusual, though it depends on the type of show and where it airs in the UK. If it's a sitcom and it airs on E4, then I'm sure lots of people who pirated it will watch repeats on TV. But if it's a serialised drama and it airs on, say, Fox, how many people do you think are going to rewatch it? Not many, I'd guess.
I'm obviously unusual then as I love rewatching the serialised drama shows even those I've only recently watched online
It happens because more people are downloading as soon as things are shown in USA, So when they are shown over here the viewing figures are low, Therefore no UK channels will pay the money to show them
So people who say it leads to more downloading are wrong, It is the downloading that leads to the UK cancellations
If people had a bit more patience then it would be better all round
You also have it backwards. I download because channels STOP showing programmes. The REAL reason they stop showing them is they're getting more expensive, and US networks are swinging the axe faster and more often on shows. Used to be they'd buy the rights to a show and get guaranteed viewing people for a fair few seasons, now they're lucky if it makes it out of one season. UK channels have wasted so much on shows that got cancelled almost straight away that it simply isn't worth it to them. I remember one year one channel bought 3-4 and they all got cancelled before a season run. Can you imagine the millions they wasted? So they have to wait to see if something is a success, but they wait too long and the show is no longer fresh for them, so they pass on it. To make matters worse, there seems to have been some new TV censor law passed without much uproar that leaves essentially every show that's even partially violent edited to death. And in channel 4's/E4's instance cut for time.
Who Wants to wait upwards of a year for a channel to "maybe" buy a show, that will be edited, and yet despite all episodes being available they still TAKE A FUDGING BREAK!! Even shows they know won't get cancelled and have done well for them with earned audiences get shunned by UK channels, OUAT/Supernatural etc. With the endless delays for Supernatural,of course it lost bloody viewers. I've paid for the channels, and I'll download the programmes if they can't be bothered to treat them with respect. You treat your audience like crap and you lose them.It's not hard to understand.
PS: I'm really sick to death of the editing. Sometimes even the On Demand versions and those shown at well past watershed are edited too. It's getting out of control.
Sometimes UK channels dump a US show simply because they want to use the money for a different US show, one that they think will perform better for them. In the case of Sky Living axing Supernatural, that seems to have happened when they acquired Scandal.
It's annoying with Supernatural but to say Sky or whatever aren't at fault is rubbish!
Sky weren't showing the seasons until about 8 months or something after it ended in the states. They were practically a year behind it so is it any wonder people went to watching online? You could buy the dvd from America before we even got to within 3 months of showing in the UK on Sky lol
Not sure about the other programs, that's just my perspective from a Supernatural fan.
Happens though. Didn't UK tv drop Breaking Bad after a year or two? season 2/3 weren't shown at all here then Netflix picked it up for the final couple seasons when it took off and suddenly everyone was talking about it and Netflix thought "Perfect timing with that purchase" I know I hadn't heard of BB until the final season or 2 then suddenly everyone was talking about it here and abroad. So you can add Supernatural and PLL to that list.
Same here! I've been waiting over a year for Enlightened season 2 (final season) and they STILL haven't shown it. Like you i've also noticed the repeats of Season 1 but what's worrying is that they just showed Season 1 which finished a couple of weeks back and now they're repeating Season 1 again!!!
I'm also still waiting for Bored to Death season 3 (final season) on Sky Atlantic too. Been waiting almost 2 years for that as well. They repeated Season 2 a few months back but still nothing happening for S3.
Like you i also hate watching things online, simply prefer watching on a normal television. Why buy shows if you're not going to show them?!?!?! It's a shambles.
It's annoying when they buy shows and don't utilise them well. Amazon can only take the HBO shows like Oz and Deadwood because Sky Atlantic own most of them. Meanwhile in the US, Amazon owns any HBO show older than three years.
The Wire keeps going on and off Sky On Demand. Luckily I watched it in time.
Sometimes UK channels dump a US show simply because they want to use the money for a different US show, one that they think will perform better for them. In the case of Sky Living axing Supernatural, that seems to have happened when they acquired Scandal.
Five did that with House to free up the money to buy The Mentalist but, of course, we're told that Sky "stole" it from Five.
Five did that with House to free up the money to buy The Mentalist but, of course, we're told that Sky "stole" it from Five.
I think we've had this debate before, but Sky did "steal" - or rather outbid Five for - House. C5 were basically forced into the situation of either choosing to pay more for House or buying The Mentalist, but if they hadn't been forced to increase their fee, I'm sure they would have picked House.
The problem is in calling the outbidding of one's competitor "stealing."
Fine, but Channel 5's public line - that they dropped House independently, is not true, from what I've heard.
The whole thing of outbidding for later seasons is a morally grey area for me.
If smaller/less rich channels are outbid for their shows after making shows famous, it reduces their incentive to take risks on good American shows, particularly in the free-to-air space.
It's annoying when they buy shows and don't utilise them well. Amazon can only take the HBO shows like Oz and Deadwood because Sky Atlantic own most of them. Meanwhile in the US, Amazon owns any HBO show older than three years.
The Wire keeps going on and off Sky On Demand. Luckily I watched it in time.
Sky have all of the shows HBO has the rights to, the reason Oz and Deadwood are on Amazon is because the rights are owned by Paramount internationally rather than HBO...
Sky makes me sick because the idea that 'ratings' dictate scheduling is farcical due to the subscription payments raked in. When I saw Sky Atlantic showing a British (produced) series I just gave up hope- that channel should have been what Sky One used to be ...........Sky Atlantic is nothing to brag about - and this is illustrated by the fact that they've turned to ITV for Encore - it is absolute tripe
The concept of Sky Sports 5 just hits home the desperation!
Sky makes me sick because the idea that 'ratings' dictate scheduling is farcical due to the subscription payments raked in. When I saw Sky Atlantic showing a British (produced) series I just gave up hope- that channel should have been what Sky One used to be ...........Sky Atlantic is nothing to brag about - and this is illustrated by the fact that they've turned to ITV for Encore - it stinks!
Get what I want through alternative means and just have Freeview for what is broadcast here in the UK - Sky Sports 5 just hits home the desperation!
I don't really follow your argument here. Sky channels get revenue from subscriptions and ad revenue. A show doing poorly in the ratings does lead to a decrease in revenue. Sky Atlantic's brand positioning is a bit weird, but I don't really see how that fits in with the rest of what you're saying. And I don't really understand the rest of what you're saying. Encore? Sky Sports 5? How does that make Sky worse? Surely having additional services makes the service better, if anything?
You say "get what I want through alternative means", but what does that mean? Piracy? Because that's no solution. Television cost money to make. And the people who make it should get to decide how they make that money back. The whole "lack of distribution" argument ignores that simple fact. Whether or not you agree with a studio's business strategy, whether or not you think that what they are doing is insane, whether or not it is insane, it shouldn't be up to you as a consumer to subvert it by getting that product for free.
If you think Encore and Sky Sports 5 improve the TV landscape well you obviously subscribe to Sky - good luck to you and all that sail in the dream of 'believing in better'
If you think Encore and Sky Sports 5 improve the TV landscape well you obviously subscribe to Sky - good luck to you and all that sail in the dream of 'believing in better'
I don't, I have Virgin Media. And I can accept that someone might not think that they improve the service, but I just don't understand how they make it worse.
The launch of 4seven finally convinced me that the idea of niche programming was really over - that channel in particular highlighted how broadcasters just seem content for programming that is repeats and multiple stacking of content (that has been) .seen on other channels - it's just drivel spread as far as is possible. Unless one is an avid sports fan - I see no benefit in subscription TV whatsoever.
The launch of 4seven finally convinced me that the idea of niche programming was really over - that channel in particular highlighted how broadcasters just seem content for programming that is repeats and multiple stacking of content (that has been) .seen on other channels - it's just drivel spread as far as is possible. Unless one is an avid sports fan - I see no benefit in subscription TV whatsoever.
I would certainly agree with your post, 4seven has to be the biggest waste of bandwith on Freeview.
It would not be as bad if they actually broadcast some classic C4 shows, but it seems to be endless re-runs of property shows, cooking shows and whatever has been on C4 the night before.
I would certainly agree with your post, 4seven has to be the biggest waste of bandwith on Freeview.
It would not be as bad if they actually broadcast some classic C4 shows, but it seems to be endless re-runs of property shows, cooking shows and whatever has been on C4 the night before.
*cough* shopping channels *cough*
I'm sure I've seen them repeating 3rd Rock from the Sun recently, maybe we'll get some comedy from the channel...
Perhaps when these channels purchase shows it should be in their agreement to show them until they are cancelled by the producers of the show (CW, ABC etc) rather than on a season by season basis. I think its a massive slap in the face to fans in particular of Supernatural who have watched it for almost ten years despite crazy scheduling and very little promotion by Living for them to discard it. Well I don't have a reason to watch Living now, so there you go! or Really (Hart of Dixie).
the issue of outbidding has gone on before Sky took over, I am still bitter about the fact that Channel 5 "stole" my beloved Dawsons Creek from C4 and at the time our reception signal was crap so was hard to watch it and also the time it was on would change from week to week so I never knew when it was going to be on and as a result have never seen the full final season (I had to buy the 2 hour finale on dvd from Amazon). and bloomin Jensen Ackles was in it as well!
Perhaps when these channels purchase shows it should be in their agreement to show them until they are cancelled by the producers of the show (CW, ABC etc) rather than on a season by season basis. I think its a massive slap in the face to fans in particular of Supernatural who have watched it for almost ten years despite crazy scheduling and very little promotion by Living for them to discard it. Well I don't have a reason to watch Living now, so there you go! or Really (Hart of Dixie).
the issue of outbidding has gone on before Sky took over, I am still bitter about the fact that Channel 5 "stole" my beloved Dawsons Creek from C4 and at the time our reception signal was crap so was hard to watch it and also the time it was on would change from week to week so I never knew when it was going to be on and as a result have never seen the full final season (I had to buy the 2 hour finale on dvd from Amazon). and bloomin Jensen Ackles was in it as well!
But then no foreign broadcasters would buy US shows, as the risk (and cost) would be far too great, and it would also result in these shows being cancelled earlier, as foreign sales are what allow the distributors of the shows to reduce the US licence fee and get extra series...
Let's face it, the only reason Hannibal is being renewed is being it's an international co-production and sells fairly well abroad...
Perhaps when these channels purchase shows it should be in their agreement to show them until they are cancelled by the producers of the show (CW, ABC etc) rather than on a season by season basis. I think its a massive slap in the face to fans in particular of Supernatural who have watched it for almost ten years despite crazy scheduling and very little promotion by Living for them to discard it. Well I don't have a reason to watch Living now, so there you go! or Really (Hart of Dixie).
the issue of outbidding has gone on before Sky took over, I am still bitter about the fact that Channel 5 "stole" my beloved Dawsons Creek from C4 and at the time our reception signal was crap so was hard to watch it and also the time it was on would change from week to week so I never knew when it was going to be on and as a result have never seen the full final season (I had to buy the 2 hour finale on dvd from Amazon). and bloomin Jensen Ackles was in it as well!
Those deals do sometimes exist, but they are very risky for the broadcaster. Suppose a channel buys a show for a price that's three times larger than what they end up making from it - say the show costs £100k an episode (£2.2m a season), and the show only brings in £35k an episode in ad revenue. That means that each year, the channel will make a £1.4m loss. Now, suppose that the show is reasonably successful in the US - that means that it could run for ten seasons, and the UK broadcaster has to buy it each year, knowing that they'll lose over a million pounds a year. They could have used that money to buy something else, maybe a show that would make money.
If you were running a business, would you enter an agreement with a supplier that basically said you had to buy their product as long as they continued making it, with no opportunity to back out if it didn't sell for you?
IIRC the BBC did it with Heroes, and got absolutely screwed with the deal. Not only was it massively expensive, but the show sank after that point and then got cancelled fairly soon after...
Comments
I'm obviously unusual then as I love rewatching the serialised drama shows even those I've only recently watched online
You also have it backwards. I download because channels STOP showing programmes. The REAL reason they stop showing them is they're getting more expensive, and US networks are swinging the axe faster and more often on shows. Used to be they'd buy the rights to a show and get guaranteed viewing people for a fair few seasons, now they're lucky if it makes it out of one season. UK channels have wasted so much on shows that got cancelled almost straight away that it simply isn't worth it to them. I remember one year one channel bought 3-4 and they all got cancelled before a season run. Can you imagine the millions they wasted? So they have to wait to see if something is a success, but they wait too long and the show is no longer fresh for them, so they pass on it. To make matters worse, there seems to have been some new TV censor law passed without much uproar that leaves essentially every show that's even partially violent edited to death. And in channel 4's/E4's instance cut for time.
Who Wants to wait upwards of a year for a channel to "maybe" buy a show, that will be edited, and yet despite all episodes being available they still TAKE A FUDGING BREAK!! Even shows they know won't get cancelled and have done well for them with earned audiences get shunned by UK channels, OUAT/Supernatural etc. With the endless delays for Supernatural,of course it lost bloody viewers. I've paid for the channels, and I'll download the programmes if they can't be bothered to treat them with respect. You treat your audience like crap and you lose them.It's not hard to understand.
PS: I'm really sick to death of the editing. Sometimes even the On Demand versions and those shown at well past watershed are edited too. It's getting out of control.
Sky weren't showing the seasons until about 8 months or something after it ended in the states. They were practically a year behind it so is it any wonder people went to watching online? You could buy the dvd from America before we even got to within 3 months of showing in the UK on Sky lol
Not sure about the other programs, that's just my perspective from a Supernatural fan.
Happens though. Didn't UK tv drop Breaking Bad after a year or two? season 2/3 weren't shown at all here then Netflix picked it up for the final couple seasons when it took off and suddenly everyone was talking about it and Netflix thought "Perfect timing with that purchase" I know I hadn't heard of BB until the final season or 2 then suddenly everyone was talking about it here and abroad. So you can add Supernatural and PLL to that list.
It's annoying when they buy shows and don't utilise them well. Amazon can only take the HBO shows like Oz and Deadwood because Sky Atlantic own most of them. Meanwhile in the US, Amazon owns any HBO show older than three years.
The Wire keeps going on and off Sky On Demand. Luckily I watched it in time.
Five did that with House to free up the money to buy The Mentalist but, of course, we're told that Sky "stole" it from Five.
Did it with White Collar too.
I think we've had this debate before, but Sky did "steal" - or rather outbid Five for - House. C5 were basically forced into the situation of either choosing to pay more for House or buying The Mentalist, but if they hadn't been forced to increase their fee, I'm sure they would have picked House.
The problem is in calling the outbidding of one's competitor "stealing."
Fine, but Channel 5's public line - that they dropped House independently, is not true, from what I've heard.
The whole thing of outbidding for later seasons is a morally grey area for me.
If smaller/less rich channels are outbid for their shows after making shows famous, it reduces their incentive to take risks on good American shows, particularly in the free-to-air space.
Sky have all of the shows HBO has the rights to, the reason Oz and Deadwood are on Amazon is because the rights are owned by Paramount internationally rather than HBO...
The concept of Sky Sports 5 just hits home the desperation!
I don't really follow your argument here. Sky channels get revenue from subscriptions and ad revenue. A show doing poorly in the ratings does lead to a decrease in revenue. Sky Atlantic's brand positioning is a bit weird, but I don't really see how that fits in with the rest of what you're saying. And I don't really understand the rest of what you're saying. Encore? Sky Sports 5? How does that make Sky worse? Surely having additional services makes the service better, if anything?
You say "get what I want through alternative means", but what does that mean? Piracy? Because that's no solution. Television cost money to make. And the people who make it should get to decide how they make that money back. The whole "lack of distribution" argument ignores that simple fact. Whether or not you agree with a studio's business strategy, whether or not you think that what they are doing is insane, whether or not it is insane, it shouldn't be up to you as a consumer to subvert it by getting that product for free.
If you think Encore and Sky Sports 5 improve the TV landscape well you obviously subscribe to Sky - good luck to you and all that sail in the dream of 'believing in better'
I don't, I have Virgin Media. And I can accept that someone might not think that they improve the service, but I just don't understand how they make it worse.
I would certainly agree with your post, 4seven has to be the biggest waste of bandwith on Freeview.
It would not be as bad if they actually broadcast some classic C4 shows, but it seems to be endless re-runs of property shows, cooking shows and whatever has been on C4 the night before.
*cough* shopping channels *cough*
I'm sure I've seen them repeating 3rd Rock from the Sun recently, maybe we'll get some comedy from the channel...
I dont like to steal content
the issue of outbidding has gone on before Sky took over, I am still bitter about the fact that Channel 5 "stole" my beloved Dawsons Creek from C4 and at the time our reception signal was crap so was hard to watch it and also the time it was on would change from week to week so I never knew when it was going to be on and as a result have never seen the full final season (I had to buy the 2 hour finale on dvd from Amazon). and bloomin Jensen Ackles was in it as well!
But then no foreign broadcasters would buy US shows, as the risk (and cost) would be far too great, and it would also result in these shows being cancelled earlier, as foreign sales are what allow the distributors of the shows to reduce the US licence fee and get extra series...
Let's face it, the only reason Hannibal is being renewed is being it's an international co-production and sells fairly well abroad...
Those deals do sometimes exist, but they are very risky for the broadcaster. Suppose a channel buys a show for a price that's three times larger than what they end up making from it - say the show costs £100k an episode (£2.2m a season), and the show only brings in £35k an episode in ad revenue. That means that each year, the channel will make a £1.4m loss. Now, suppose that the show is reasonably successful in the US - that means that it could run for ten seasons, and the UK broadcaster has to buy it each year, knowing that they'll lose over a million pounds a year. They could have used that money to buy something else, maybe a show that would make money.
If you were running a business, would you enter an agreement with a supplier that basically said you had to buy their product as long as they continued making it, with no opportunity to back out if it didn't sell for you?