Time Warner Acknowledges a Benefit from Video Piracy
During a conference call last week, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes stated, “If you go around the world, I think you’re right, that Game of Thrones is the most pirated show in the world.” The unauthorized private distribution is, “a tremendous word-of-mouth thing… that’s better than an Emmy.”
Certainly studios and distributors would prefer to see distribution of their programming be exclusively via profitable authorized channels, but Bewkes here acknowledges that unauthorized, underground file-sharing creates a tremendous self-perpetuating consumer demand that drives advertising and sales interest.
Source: The Verge
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The only reason piracy helps a show like Game of Thrones is it’s a show people were likely to pay for on DVD/BD, eventually, anyway. They just don’t want to go through HBO’s overpriced cable fees, considering it’s the only thing from their line-up they want to see, anyway. OTOH, I don’t think it helps niche shows in which there may not be an incentive to release on home video, if they tank in the ratings.
@GATS
In other words, piracy it’s good for good series and bad for mediocre shows since it drives advertising.
Why is that a bad thing again?
They can be good shows, and still be niche.