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If you had a chance to complain to HBO, Game of Thrones what would you say?

S

spacepower7

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 6, 2004
1,509
1
I have the ear of some of the executives for a short bit/or once, so I want to consolidate various arguments and opinions.

I'm curious what the AppleTV forum has to say. I personally don't like their outdated distribution timelines when it comes to airing and post airing distributionor lack of...

The idea of selectively airing and selling video is so 1990's DVD region coding.

If anyone can give great analysis, to add to the conversation, I will gladly voice it to the execs.
 
I understand they want people to subscribe, but tell them they'd make a hell lot more money if they didn't wait until a new season of a show is coming out before releasing the BD/DVD of the previous season. And also they could make more money if they did what most regular cable networks do and have the episode of a show available for purchase on iTunes the next day. This would cut down a lot on piracy IMO.
 
DRM-free and cheap. It ain't gonna happen, but it's the only way to compete with free.
 
spacepower7 said:
I have the ear of some of the executives for a short bit/or once, so I want to consolidate various arguments and opinions.

I'm curious what the AppleTV forum has to say. I personally don't like their outdated distribution timelines when it comes to airing and post airing distributionor lack of...

The idea of selectively airing and selling video is so 1990's DVD region coding.

If anyone can give great analysis, to add to the conversation, I will gladly voice it to the execs.
Click to expand...

A few random thoughts...

If they are truely attempting to reach the widest audience (in turn making more money), they should release each episode on iTunes a day after airing. I would even settle with them releasing the season on iTunes after the last episode. The way they do it now make me want to turn to pirating. I would never pirate of course...

I will not pay the cable company the fees they are charging for HBO. In fact, I plan on cutting cable all together. Many others are in the process of cutting cable and are looking for a new way to obtain their entertainment. If HBO offered me an app to watch all of their content, I would buy it.
 
Why does HBO have to be synonymous with Cable?

Cable is a fixed point in space.

I don't have cable to my phone, car, office, RV, beach house, etc.

It's a mobile world now. The people are your endpoint, and after all they are the ones paying.

I'm not advocating dropping cable, but HBO is missing the bigger more lucrative picture by limiting their distribution media.
 
Ask them why everyone is so nicely waxed and manicured in the nude scenes? were there some secret waxing and spa's in that era that historians don't know about?
 
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Honestly, all of these suggestions will fall on deaf ears. Yes, HBO is in the business of making money. However, it's in the business of making money for the parent company ... Time Warner. One of TW's businesses is their CableTV business.

Why would they want to make it easier for subscribers to dump cable TV? It doesn't make any sense.

TW/HBO will do whatever they need to do to maintain their business. Right now, selling shows on iTunes and running online subscriptions services is not in their best interest. Maybe they'd make more money at HBO, but they'd probably lose a whole lot more at TW.
 
A few people who aren't me of course, do not have Cable TV, nor will they ever pick it up. We resort to the online distribution models exclusively. Until HBO offers them some decently priced online model, they will happily pirate/torrent the shows of their choosing. And for what it is worth, the more people find out about these setups, especially everyone at the university, the more they all drop their home Cable plans.

This isn't speculation, this is what is actually happening amongst the people I interact with. The longer HBO waits the more familiar and used to these illegal methods these people will become, and the less inclined they will be to start paying for online models even once they do appear at fair prices. HBO better take action soon.

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ftaok said:
Why would they want to make it easier for subscribers to dump cable TV? It doesn't make any sense.
Click to expand...

The problem is people are already dumping the subscribers. They don't need extra incentive to do so. Quite the contrary, they need reasons to stick with the subscription model, and saying "but we have HBO" typically elicits the the response, "so do the pirates".

TW/HBO will do whatever they need to do to maintain their business. Right now, selling shows on iTunes and running online subscriptions services is not in their best interest. Maybe they'd make more money at HBO, but they'd probably lose a whole lot more at TW.
Click to expand...

Adapt or die. It's up to them.
 
100% honest:

I pirate Game of Thrones. It's a great show - I want to watch it. But, I want to be able to buy the episodes, $2 per is max, but seems excessive, and I don't want any DRM. I don't want to spend a dime that locks me into playing this movie that I just spent money on in a single piece of software (iTunes.)

So... I torrent it. I torrent it because it gives pretty nice quality and I can play it on any platform I choose. I don't subscribe to HBO because my cable companies fees are ridiculous and I don't care for any of HBO's other content. I really don't give a crap that they get certain movies, etc, because I can rent the movie, so why would I subscribe to them?

Also, as has already been said, don't wait so long to make the content available. Next day max. Anything longer, and people will torrent. It's pretty sad that pirates are quicker at this than studio execs.

The MPAA, movie execs, people in charge of video, whatever you want to call them, are creating their own mess. iTunes no longer has DRM on music, so take it off video too. I'm not giving them a dime as long as there is DRM.

So:
1. No DRM
2. Content available to purchase day after airing
3. Content reasonably priced
4. More tits and vag
 
the main thing they need to do is make the episodes available sooner. Waiting almost a year to get them from iTunes is ridiculous. i want to support the show but i don't like having to wait for them. I can understand if they want to wait until the season is over to release them all at once, but it would be great if it was purchasable as a season and you could download them the day after they aired.

alternatively they should expand HBO Go so that i can purchase a subscription directly from them rather than having it through a cable provider. i'm sure i'm not the only one who would be interested in that.

i love the show, i love the books, but we're in a culture of instant gratification. they need to work on making their content more readily available.
 
JohnDoe98 said:
A few people who aren't me of course, do not have Cable TV, nor will they ever pick it up. We resort to the online distribution models exclusively. Until HBO offers them some decently priced online model, they will happily pirate/torrent the shows of their choosing. And for what it is worth, the more people find out about these setups, especially everyone at the university, the more they all drop their home Cable plans.

This isn't speculation, this is what is actually happening amongst the people I interact with. The longer HBO waits the more familiar and used to these illegal methods these people will become, and the less inclined they will be to start paying for online models even once they do appear at fair prices. HBO better take action soon.
Click to expand...
The people who don't suscribe to cable (for whatever reason) are of no concern to TW/HBO. They were never going to spend the money, so it's no big deal. Now, the people who currently subscribe, but are considering dropping cable ... that's another story. TW/HBO should be very concerned about keeping them. Right now, if you subscribe to HBO, you can get HBOGo for your mobile devices. This is a big step forward for the old-school TW/HBO. Is it enough to keep people from jumping ship? I don't know. Maybe.

The problem is people are already dumping the subscribers. They don't need extra incentive to do so. Quite the contrary, they need reasons to stick with the subscription model, and saying "but we have HBO" typically elicits the the response, "so do the pirates".
Click to expand...
In regards to dumping cable, I don't see HBO as the vehicle that prevents folks from dropping cable. I see live sports as that vehicle. Sure, there are shady ways to get your live sports, but most people just want the easy way. Turn on the TV/STB and tune in. Live sports has a very short shelf life. It's pretty much useless an hour or two after the event ends. So torrents are useless. Streaming sites have limited selection and the quality sucks (at least the ones that I've heard of). It's pretty much "watch when it's on". This is why you see a lot or the cable companies also owning major sports teams. You also see a lot of the bigger sports teams owning their own network.

The TWs of the industry don't use HBO to keep subs from dumping. They use the NFL, MLB, ESPN, etc to do that.

And yes, I do know that I've undercut my original assertion that TW wouldn't want to make it easier for folks to dump cable. My logic is a conumdrum wrapped in an enigma. ;)

Adapt or die. It's up to them.
Click to expand...
I totally agree with you on this one. At some point, they'll need to adapt. It's already starting. I think (not sure where I read this, but I can point to personal anecdotes) that the 12-18 demographics are getting more screen time on computers/mobile than from TV. These kids are watching YouTube, Facebook, etc and not traditional TV. Eventually, these 12-18 year olds will be the 25-33 year olds. Their viewing habits will shape how everyone else gets their information/entertainment at home. My personal opinion is that the TW, et al will need to turn to providing data, rather than networks. It'll be an OnDemand world and the ones that control the data conduits will get the lion's share of the money.

----------
radiogoober said:
I pirate Game of Thrones. It's a great show - I want to watch it. But, I want to be able to buy the episodes, $2 per is max, but seems excessive, and I don't want any DRM. I don't want to spend a dime that locks me into playing this movie that I just spent money on in a single piece of software (iTunes.)
Click to expand...
I'm not picking on you, but you were the first here to put a price on what you would pay. $2 per episode is the max you'd shell out.

So, would you be willing to count up the number of episodes that you torrented and give $2/episode to charity or something? In addition to what you may already donate.

Maybe there's a charity to donates money to the Arts or struggling actors.
 
ftaok said:
The people who don't suscribe to cable (for whatever reason) are of no concern to TW/HBO. They were never going to spend the money, so it's no big deal.
Click to expand...

This argument was given by the music industry too, proved to be false though.

Now, the people who currently subscribe, but are considering dropping cable ... that's another story. TW/HBO should be very concerned about keeping them. Right now, if you subscribe to HBO, you can get HBOGo for your mobile devices. This is a big step forward for the old-school TW/HBO. Is it enough to keep people from jumping ship? I don't know. Maybe.
Click to expand...

I doubt it.

In regards to dumping cable, I don't see HBO as the vehicle that prevents folks from dropping cable. I see live sports as that vehicle. Sure, there are shady ways to get your live sports, but most people just want the easy way. Turn on the TV/STB and tune in. Live sports has a very short shelf life. It's pretty much useless an hour or two after the event ends. So torrents are useless. Streaming sites have limited selection and the quality sucks (at least the ones that I've heard of). It's pretty much "watch when it's on". This is why you see a lot or the cable companies also owning major sports teams. You also see a lot of the bigger sports teams owning their own network.

The TWs of the industry don't use HBO to keep subs from dumping. They use the NFL, MLB, ESPN, etc to do that.
Click to expand...

Yes the live sports situation is the biggest hurdle, but you can already get MLB and NHL on your Apple TV and other similar devices. I wouldn't be surprised if the other leagues already work or will work fairly soon as well. Plus there are more and more sites going up that offer all the games for a yearly subscription with rather high quality of service. Here is one example:

http://www4.hockeystreams.com/

You are going to see more and more of these types of service for all the sports leagues, so again the Cable providers need to get their online services going much faster if they don't want to be left behind.

I totally agree with you on this one. At some point, they'll need to adapt. It's already starting. I think (not sure where I read this, but I can point to personal anecdotes) that the 12-18 demographics are getting more screen time on computers/mobile than from TV. These kids are watching YouTube, Facebook, etc and not traditional TV. Eventually, these 12-18 year olds will be the 25-33 year olds. Their viewing habits will shape how everyone else gets their information/entertainment at home. My personal opinion is that the TW, et al will need to turn to providing data, rather than networks. It'll be an OnDemand world and the ones that control the data conduits will get the lion's share of the money.
Click to expand...

Not only that, the current 25-33s are already buying into the new digital age and when their friends/parents come to their homes and see the setup, they become very curious and begin to adapt. I've seen the same phenomenon happen in the Phone industry. More and more people are dumping landlines and going to the free internet options. With VOIP becoming so much more sustainable on 4G and LTE networks, you'll see people dumping voice plans in large numbers too. The next 5-10 years are going to be very interesting for the legacy providers.
 
JohnDoe98 said:
Yes the live sports situation is the biggest hurdle, but you can already get MLB and NHL on your Apple TV and other similar devices. I wouldn't be surprised if the other leagues already work or will work fairly soon as well. Plus there are more and more sites going up that offer all the games for a yearly subscription with rather high quality of service. Here is one example:
Click to expand...

I'm only going to reply to this point. The others were really more my opinion rather than anything based on facts.

Yes, you can get MLB on your computer, aTV, Roku, etc. However, it's subject to blackout rules. This means that you cannot get your hometeam games via MLB.tv. They expect you to get your home team games via the TV. Which means subscribing to cable.

In Philadelphia, most Phillies games are on Comcast Sportsnet. There are a few that get broadcast on PHL17 (OTA). Then there's national games on Fox and ESPN. The Fox game is blacked out on MLB.tv and the ESPN game would be blacked out as well.

So if you want to watch your home team, MLB.tv is not really the answer.

Not sure about NHL/NBA with their blackout rules. And forget about the NFL.

Right now, live sports is a huge issue with cable-cutters. If you're not into sports, then there are plenty of options with Hulu and Netflix and others. But if you're a sports junkie, then it's cable or nothing.
 
I want HBO original programming TV episodes 24 hours later like every other major network (cable or broadcast) on the iTunes Store.

HBO does have good content, but it's not so superior that it should take 12 months to reach the iTunes Store. Other networks like AMC (Mad Men and Breaking Bad) are doing fine with the 24 hour window.
 
ftaok said:
Honestly, all of these suggestions will fall on deaf ears. Yes, HBO is in the business of making money. However, it's in the business of making money for the parent company ... Time Warner. One of TW's businesses is their CableTV business.

Why would they want to make it easier for subscribers to dump cable TV? It doesn't make any sense.
Click to expand...

I live in a state not covered by TW cable.
 
ftaok said:
I'm not picking on you, but you were the first here to put a price on what you would pay. $2 per episode is the max you'd shell out.

So, would you be willing to count up the number of episodes that you torrented and give $2/episode to charity or something? In addition to what you may already donate.

Maybe there's a charity to donates money to the Arts or struggling actors.
Click to expand...

I understand the point of your post. However, let's talk more about the price of episodes on iTunes. We all can get broadcast TV for free. The shows play for free, and are supported by advertisers on the network. So when I pay $2 to iTunes to download an episode of The Office, are they saying that since I'm not getting any commercials in the file that it needs to make up about $2 (of which they get 70%) to them?

Is it pirating if I download a torrent that has a show that was broadcast for free, over the air, by NBC? The same show that I could play for free on their website?
 
Add HBO Go to Apple TV. You have to sign in now with your cable/satellite provider account name and password for the app on iPhone and iPad, why not on Apple TV as well?
 
btw... I went to this weird place today called BestBuy (kidding, but I had not been in one for a long time) and looked at their TVs. I hadn't looked at flatscreens in years because my 52" Samsung 650 is doing just fine. I can't believe how nice they look now, with their little bezels, etc. Man, that 80" was phenominal.
 
radiogoober said:
I understand the point of your post. However, let's talk more about the price of episodes on iTunes. We all can get broadcast TV for free. The shows play for free, and are supported by advertisers on the network. So when I pay $2 to iTunes to download an episode of The Office, are they saying that since I'm not getting any commercials in the file that it needs to make up about $2 (of which they get 70%) to them?

Is it pirating if I download a torrent that has a show that was broadcast for free, over the air, by NBC? The same show that I could play for free on their website?
Click to expand...

You didn't answer the question.
 
Cuthbert said:
You didn't answer the question.
Click to expand...

Oh please, it's a stupid question. Would I donate a hypothetical cost of a non-existent product to charity to counteract pirating? Sure. In fact, I already run a very small 501c3 non-profit that does medical mission work in 3rd world countries. I'd bet that I give more time and money than 99% of Americans. Does that mean I can now pirate anything I want?
 
radiogoober said:
Oh please, it's a stupid question. Would I donate a hypothetical cost of a non-existent product to charity to counteract pirating? Sure. In fact, I already run a very small 501c3 non-profit that does medical mission work in 3rd world countries. I'd bet that I give more time and money than 99% of Americans. Does that mean I can now pirate anything I want?
Click to expand...

Stealing is stealing no matter how you want to defend yourself. So I don't think it is a dumb question. Personally, I think it would be more reasonable to buy the season once it comes out (iTunes, DVD, etc). Then you paid for the content you consumed.

I solute you on your other charity work. No, I don't think it gives you a pass on stealing.
 
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