File-sharers' TV tastes revealed

[edesignuk]

Millions of television viewers are now using illegal file-sharing services to access free and unauthorised copies of programmes, research has revealed.

US drama Heroes was the most popular illegal download this year, according to research firm Big Champagne.

Around 55 million people downloaded the show, whilst 51 million chose to access Lost, the second most popular show.

Visits to leading "torrent" sites, which index video and music files, have also nearly doubled in the last year.

The proportion of file-sharing involving films and television rather than music is continuing to rise, the research shows.

"Millions of television viewers now access free, unauthorised versions of favourite shows at least some of the time," says Eric Garland the chief executive of Big Champagne.

"This is a socially acceptable form of casual piracy - and it is replacing viewing hours."

...

All of the programmes in the top 10 were American, but the survey also examined unauthorised downloads of popular BBC show Top Gear.

During the most recent series, the figures show around 300,000 downloads of each episode in the days immediately following their broadcast in the UK.

But the UK accounted for just 4% of the download activity, with 47% coming from the United States.

Big Champagne says Top Gear has been among the most pirated television programmes internationally.

BBC.

Interesting.

 

[iBlue]

I wonder if part of the reason Heroes and Lost account for so much of that is their remarkable ability to keep you on edge for next week's episode. Being able to watch one right after the other can be very satisfying.

 

[ethical]

I wonder if part of the reason Heroes and Lost account for so much of that is their remarkable ability to keep you on edge for next week's episode. Being able to watch one right after the other can be very satisfying.

I completely agree. It just runs with the storyline for there to be cliff-hangers at the end of each episode.

With Top Gear it's a different story... I've never seen Top Gear for sale on DVD (other than the 'specials'), so I think the majority of people download Top Gear because they want to start a collection of the episodes.

 

[iPhone 62S]

Also, I don't see why the BBC would care, their money comes from TV licenses, which people pay weather or not they download their shows for torrent sites.

Also, torrenting TV shows should be legal. After all, we can record TV shows in full quality into a un-DRM'd file, which I can then transfer to my Mac if I wanted... So why can't I download them?

EDIT: Plus, mscriv brought up the very good point that the TV channels themselves offer the shows as streaming content online for free, and the BBC will even let me download the shows too. So, again, why can't I torrent TV shows?

 

[Heilage]

In Norway we have to wait for maybe 6 months or longer until a TV-show appears on our screens, if it ever does. No wonder we download.

 

[mscriv]

I really don't get what all the fuss is about here. Both Heroes and Lost have episodes available online to watch in full for free through their network websites (ABC & NBC) The networks themselves are making this content available for free over the internet. I also agree that there is little difference between me using my DVR, DVD recorder, or VCR as opposed to finding the file to download somewhere online. I understand that it's copyrighted material, but it's also publicly broadcast for free consumption. Now premium networks that charge for content like HBO and other "cable" networks do have a beef. This is an old argument/debate, but it always gets attention because our technology outpaces our laws.

 

[RED™]

I think torrenting TV shows is illegal because your source is not the official broadcaster.

If you record it onto your DVD or video cassette or watch it from the broadcaster's website is legit because you are recording/watching it from a official licence owner.