Studio Embracing P2P While Missing The Point
from the all-the-costs,-none-of-the-benefits dept
Scott writes in to let us know that Time Warner is apparently embracing P2P in parts of Europe, saying that the company is finally "changing" its business model. The actual details of the story show how little things have actually changed. In this case, it's mostly that Warner Brothers is using a tiny aspect of P2P as a publicity stunt. The rest of this is business as usual. They will allow downloads of movies and television shows. It sounds like it will be using a BitTorrent-like system that will share the bandwidth burden among people who already have the content. While the content won't have an expiration date, it will have copy protection that will require the content to "call home" to a central server. Warner Brothers will be releasing content for sale on this system at the same time as DVDs go on sale... but will charge the same amount as a DVD. So, basically, they're using P2P to lower their own costs. By going online, it saves them packaging costs. By going P2P it saves them in bandwidth costs. But, do they pass the savings on to customers? Hell no. Instead, they expect you to offer up your bandwidth to help them out. The only one getting any benefit here is the studio, which makes it seem unlikely that users will come rushing in.
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Nice try WB, but no sale. We want a cost break. Share the $$ you hording monguls.
...on the other hand, the reality is their "protection" will be cracked in a matter of a week after they impliment this strategy. Pirates are very good a blowing holes in corporate stategies like this.
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Ulterior Motives?
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Quality of Service
It's one thing bitching and moaning about P2P traffic be slowed to a crawl if you are downloading suspect content, but if you are trying to access legitimate content that you've actually paid for, then people will really start to yell.
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Good idea.
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Re: Good idea.
I have not downloaded anything illegally. I don't use file sharing. I don't download unauthorized content.
As for my "right to complain" I think you're missing the point. I'm saying that this is a bad business strategy for the company. They're not offering anything of real value here, so it's a bad offering. They could do a much better job.
I hadn't realized that offering good advice was considered "complaining."
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Re: Good idea.
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Re: Good idea.
I don't Download anything illegaly and i think this is the stupidest things to hit P2P yet. like Mike said it will just be a way for M$ to say that they "tried" P2P and it doesnt work. I think the RIAA are a bunch of greedy scum bags no better than patent trolls (doing none of the work and wanting to get paid for it). When P2P becomes a cheap and easy way to d/l movies and music i will embase it whole heartedly, but until that time i think illegal downloads will be the competition that is so blatantly missing in the entertainment industry.
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Re: Good idea.
If you don't like someone, then why buy their products? Why not be a visionary, an instrument for change? Why not speak out for something you believe in?
Perhaps a trip to China for a few years will allow you to experience real oppression. Then, you may finally understand the point of discussions like these.
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Re: Good idea.
Or then again, you bash it before it is final, and they continue to sue, status quo ensues, no reason to change.
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Re: Good idea.
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Re: Good idea.
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Re: Good idea.
But that's just the thing. They're not "trying" anything. They're basically doing the same thing they always do while shifting the bandwidth burden to users. This isn't a better solution... it's worse.
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Re: Good idea.
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Re: Good idea.
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Re: Good idea.
I still think this is a step in the right direction to actually have a studio attempt it. They won't learn until they do, someone else doing it for them doesn't let them feel the problem.
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MY BANDWIDTH!!
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WB does not "get it"
They are not "testing the waters", they are setting themselves up for failure.
Sounds almost like a "straw man" thingy.
Give us torrents WITH commercials. I promise to watch them. Let us share your bandwidth pain.!!
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...
Regardless, it isn't WB's responibility to pass savings on to you. Buy your DVD instead. Stop bitching. As far as I can tell this is a positive step in the right direction. Lets hear your ideas for a better system...
Oh, and don't forget about all the hardware, and people power you'll need in order to offer a service like this...
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Savings cost? or attempt to push product?
But, do they pass the savings on to customers? Hell no.
Something I think was missed is that sometimes customers don't WANT their users to download everything. They WANT their users to buy the physical product over a software based download. I think this is one of those instances. In this instance, in order to "promote" their hardware DVD copies, they make the downloads the same price.
I've seen this tactic used on multiple occations. This isn't about savings, this is about demoting downloads while promoting their physical store copies
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Re: Savings cost? or attempt to push product?
Hmm. That only works if the downloads aren't already available for free via BitTorrent. It doesn't do much to convince anyone of anything if you make a worse product more expensive.
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Re: Same value as a hard copy DVD?
Will these copies be region free or do I risk my using my DVD players 4 region changes?
If I don't have internet access all the time, will the movie refuse to play because the DRM can't phone home?
As to the bandwidth, the major teleco in Australia (Telstra) charges Au$0.15 / Mb both _UP_ and down.
(Just waiting to trap new customers with a 24 month / 300Mb account)
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Re: Good idea.
This is business for you. All new product streams are expected to pay for themselves by default. It's also viable to expect it to get cheaper over time unless it bombs first - that's what the choice of initial price does.
How good's the quality they're offering, anyway?
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Re: Same value as a hard copy DVD?
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Re: Savings cost? or attempt to push product?
Hmm. That only works if the downloads aren't already available for free via BitTorrent. It doesn't do much to convince anyone of anything if you make a worse product more expensive.
Then you get into the realm of legalities. It's not legal to download the "free" versions off BT. In which, my comment still holds true.
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Re: Savings cost? or attempt to push product?
Not really. The issue is the competitive market place as viewed by the consumer. The legality plays into it -- as it's a "cost". However, it makes the whole offering a very different sell.
The problem is that the entertainment companies prefer to pretend that the illegal free stuff isn't a part of their market, when it is.
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