WatchingTV Online: Opinion: Why TV viewers resort to piracy

April 14, 2009

Opinion: Why TV viewers resort to piracy

An interesting opinion piece from The Harvard Crimson on why TV viewers resort to piracy - in the US and around the world.

Internet users outside the United States are absurdly unable to access American television shows through the networks’ websites directly or via Hulu. Left with little choice, they master the murky world of link compilers such as sidereel.com and surfthechannel.com, conduits for illegal videos hosted by such sites as megavideo.com and others.

Even in America, distribution of cable shows is so inefficient that domestic viewers resort to piracy.

Consumers of television programs often have only one or two price points to choose from if they want a full television season: either free, if they download illegally, or more than $20 if they choose iTunes, DVD, or Blu-ray. There are far more consumers at $0 than at $20, even though consuming at $0 takes on a criminal hue. Those willing to buy at some price in between are completely ignored. Abroad, where a viewer can only consume at $0, the choice is obvious.