Are TV Downloads The New Music Downloads?

from the missing-the-point dept

Mon, May 15th 2006 9:34am — Carlo Longino

Plenty of sites have started selling music downloads in an attempt to either look cool, or cash in on their popularity -- even when selling music has nothing to do with the site or its purpose at all. Today brings word that MySpace is going to begin selling downloads of 24, following news last week that Fox would join other networks in selling its content through iTunes. So, are TV show downloads poised to overtake music downloads as the hot Web offering du jour? What's striking about the MySpace deal, like so many of the music-download services on random sites, is that they just throw the downloads up without even making an effort to integrate them into the site or its existing services. The whole point of MySpace is communication -- after all, it's a social-networking site -- not sitting there to passively watch some TV show. At the very least, you'd expect there to be some facility to let MySpace users engage the content somehow, like the ability to stream the show from their page, or add clips in to their blog -- just something, anything, to make the show add some value to users' experience on the site. Blindly adding music or TV downloads in an attempt to get some Web cred really doesn't make sense for these sites, particularly when they don't do anything to make the offering relevant to what they do. Without adding any benefit to make buying downloads from them better for their users than buying downloads from established sources like iTunes, their efforts are little more than futile.

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25 Comments

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anonymous coward, 15 May 2006 @ 9:38am

24 and myspace suck ass.

first
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2006 @ 10:06am

I agree they both suck.. No one cares about both.
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Chie, 15 May 2006 @ 10:19am

MySpace... selling TV episodes. I also do not see the connection, or why they'd do it. It's almost as silly as the people who upload episodes of shows onto YouTube, as if anyone would watch it off thier (even though people actually do. So sad...)

Yeah. Piles of suck I agree.
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Chie, 15 May 2006 @ 10:20am

MySpace... selling TV episodes. I also do not see the connection, or why they'd do it. It's almost as silly as the people who upload episodes of shows onto YouTube, as if anyone would watch it off thier (even though people actually do. So sad...)

Yeah. Piles of suck I agree.
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Justin, 15 May 2006 @ 10:22am

What?
What the heck ! Are you trying to tell us that News Corp is trying to push News Corp products through News Corp's own property?

That's just crazy !
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Eric, 15 May 2006 @ 10:25am

Fox owns MySpace... doesn't Fox also show 24? It's not that big of a surprise. MySpace has become a teenage meeting place and where do we want to market television shows? Teens! Seems to make sense to me but then hey, I've never seen 24 before.
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ibeetle, 15 May 2006 @ 10:31am

The connection to MySpace and 24
Several have posted that they do not see the connection as to why MySpace is selling T.V. episodes. Starting with the program 24.

Well let us see... 24 is on the Fox television network. Who owns MySpace? News Corp; and who owns who owns Fox? News Corp.

Folks, MySpace is about to become the iTunes of News Corp.
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sharqman, 15 May 2006 @ 10:38am

MySpace Content
While I agree that some sites do simply add items for sale just for the sole purpose of generating revenue even though the site has nothing to do with the content being sold, MySpace selling TV downloads does make some sense. Take a look at the MySpace music section. Now, I am a total MySpace neophyte and actually have little interest in non-mainstream music. MySpace, though, affords me the opportunity to sample garage bands that my friends recommend to me. I could easily see MySpace people making a case for TV shows also being "found" by an audience that might not otherwise have known about the offering from the networks.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2006 @ 10:40am

Re:
Duh, this way all the highschool kiddies can all watch 24 on My Space while posting stupid pointless comments and bulletins.
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Searcher619, 15 May 2006 @ 10:56am

Re: Re:
I sense sour grapes here.... Did someone on Myspace like turn you down? LOL
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Darren, 15 May 2006 @ 11:27am

24.....
...slightly off topic....but..

....I would love it if a certain "Toy Soldier" was on 24 (New agent/Chloe's love interest?). I think you'd be perfect for the part.
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Scott, 15 May 2006 @ 11:38am

Re:
No one cares about myspace?

Over 65 million users.. 260,000 new ones being added each day

No one cares eh?
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Some IT Bastard, 15 May 2006 @ 11:44am

The Point is.....
..to make more money. If it works, then they were right to do so, and will add more. If they are wrong, then it'll end. Somehow, I think it will work, and more shows will be added.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2006 @ 11:47am

24 is not that bad
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Re: Scott, 15 May 2006 @ 11:52am

A large number of those are all automated smart ass. I've heard it all before, how could 70 million ppl be wrong? They are, simple as that! I do not question how many idiots there are in this world, probably a lot more the 70 mil.
Stop trying to sound like your right when your not!
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Yakov, 15 May 2006 @ 12:15pm

Ok, since myspace is priamarily used by the kids well off the 24 demographic this doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm sure there are plenty of other shows that fox could put on myspace which would be more in the age range.
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UGG, 15 May 2006 @ 12:56pm

Don't like it
Just seem like if they start to sell it, there will be 25 minutes of the show, 35 of shameless advertising and 60 minutes of subliminal messages asking to not fast forward through the advertising.

If the shows are something I can catch over the air (antenna) waves then I would consider this time shifting and there should be no charge!
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Ahmer, 15 May 2006 @ 2:22pm

Re: Don't like it
Have you looked at any Bittorent TV trackers? They usually will record the show using a device simillar to a TiVO and will shrink the file size by using a high quality codec and it's completely ad-free!
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Captain Obvious, 15 May 2006 @ 2:58pm

Since when..
....do you need a "connection" to do anything with your site on the web? MySpace wants to post videos of TV shows for a simple reason...their owners want to make money. The web isn't an art form, it's a commercial enterprise. Commercial enterprises sell stuff. End of story.
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operator, 15 May 2006 @ 4:55pm

M _ y _ S _ p _ a _ c _ e _ S _ u _ c _ k _ s

do we really have to say much more about it thatn that?
i think not.
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elaine, 15 May 2006 @ 8:07pm

TV downloads? This is just a new way for these sites to generate more profit and gain more audience. If this would be the future in downloading, what would be the purpose of the good 'ol tube?
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JSN1138, 16 May 2006 @ 1:23am

saving digital face
Until they integrate the amazon "payback" scheme or "associates" scheme, it will never really be of any direct intrest to the general audience of myspace. No self respecting user (?) of myspace would be caught dead with a cheesy sellout 'geek link' on thier site.

But it will be a perfect mechaism for FOX to put the show on it's own myspace page, which is probably something like myspace.com/24... and also put this in other show spaces to cross promote other shows (or even movies) that are not doing as well (does anyone really watch 24?).

It's a clever digital media marketing tool, but will not really drive any sales. But then the digital game for most conglomerates is more about face then money, with the tiny volumes of sales they are moving.
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Bryan Henry, 21 May 2006 @ 8:17pm

Why Pay For TV?
With many sites getting involved in streaming the shows on their site, why would you pay for the episode? Any time I miss Lost I simply go to ABC.com and watch it there. It still has the ads but for free who cares? I don't see this becomming as popular as music has been. You can only watch a show so many time before it gets really old. The next big hit will be movies. Like music, moves can stay as a classic for many years to come. Bryan Henry http://techntoons.blogspot.com
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rhino, 4 Jul 2006 @ 9:45am

tv downloads
i download all of my favorite tv shows and movies for free. All you need to do is go to http://bestlinkstv.blogspot.com and then go to one off the sites and then pay a one-off payment and then enjoy free downloads for the rest of your life. its all legal too.
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cynthia, 4 Oct 2006 @ 9:48am

information
i need more information about this page
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