When Freakin' Sweet Isn't So Freakin' Sweet
from the what-the-deuce? dept
Adult Swim, the breakout hit programming block on Cartoon Network, airs every night except Fridays. But now, broadband-enabled fans will be able get their fix then, as the network will stream episodes of its shows on its Web site on Friday nights during its usual time slot from 11pm to 6am. Thanks to a rabid fanbase, anybody that really wanted to see Adult Swim shows anytime could pretty easily find them on file-sharing networks, so while the time restriction is an attention-grabbing gimmick, it seems rather pointless -- as does the decision to stream, rather than offer downloads. The competition here are the DVD and TV rips on BitTorrent and other networks, and not really anything else. Users will turn away from them only when they've got a reasonable alternative, say good-quality downloads -- even with the commercials still in -- over fast pipes from a legitimate, non-lawsuit-happy source. People are going to consume media however they want, and there are plenty of tools that support that, and rip out advertising-driven business models in the process. Only by embracing users' desires to time-shift, place-shift and device-shift their media will traditional outlets succeed.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
yeah, but....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Digital Media Distribution
It's true some savvy users will find a way to eliminate sponsored masseging, but copyright law still has some time before its abolitiion.
We can trade files but music digital distribution profits are at an all time high.
If the media companies stay cost competitive, and bring added value they can make money. Not everyone wants to steal.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Let's Numa Numa Baby
http://pya.cc/pyaimg/pimgstop.php?imgid=7653
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
Again you will have the advanced users getting around this restriction, thus leaving the "pirating" to only those who would do it (see Sony BMG) while preventing the one who wouldn't. The purpose is self-defeating by hurting potential customers while ignoring the problem as a whole.
Whatever the purpose it makes little sense. I agree that it should be down-loadable (weekly), and be offered up on a network like BT. They are going to incur heightened traffic anyway, so they could be making the most of it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This is so true...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You are all missing the point.
That's freakin' cool! No other network comes close to that type of offering streamed or downloaded.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You are all missing the point.
That's freakin' cool! No other network comes close to that type of offering streamed or downloaded.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]