No Surprise: UK Film And TV Execs Insist They Need Gov't Help Or They'll Disappear
from the sigh dept
Pretty much any industry is going to use any opportunity to ask for more help from the government, so it should come as little surprise that film and TV execs in the UK are claiming that they need more help from the government in fighting piracy or they will "fade into insignificance in five years." Of course, if you look back at the history of the entertainment industry, they've basically been claiming this as far back as you can look and there's zero evidence to support this. Yes, it may be true that if they do not adjust their own business models, these laggard companies may disappear, but it hardly means the end of video entertainment production. Others will step into the void, embracing newer and better business models. But, of course, you won't hear that. Instead, the government will rush in to help and protect, and the end result will be that it actually harms the newer more innovative and efficient producers of content in favor of the inefficient legacy companies. It harms overall society, but politicians never seem to take that into account.
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Filed Under: copyright, film, protectionism, tv, uk
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Rather the Govt than DRM
You've got to remember that most original production in the UK is mostly non-commercial. e.g. the BBC has no adverts, and is completely publicly funded. The UK film council gets most of its money from the Govt currently too, tickets/dvds cover only a portion, UK films just don't have the boxoffice impact that hollywood movies do the revenues are much smaller.
I'd rather have more public funding for original content, which can be defined as a public service, than restrictive DRM any day. just divert funds from any one of a dozen other hairbrained schemes (internet tracking, id cards, nhs database, name your pick)
at the very least their new You make the Movies campaign is starting to recognise that you should not treat your paying customers like criminals. A thank you is always appreciated.
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By rolling out universal 2Meg broadband? Solid reporting there.
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It's that they can't compete
I don't really agree with farm subsidies, but I didn't say I agreed with this either.
The key point is that TV programming has a huge impact on the nature of society - kids get their role models from it, that kind of thing. If the Brits want their kids to grow up British, they need to be watching British television.
The argument is that they provide an essential service, but can't compete effectively.
Innit?
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Re: Rather the Govt than DRM
Or you could just stop being a tight wad and actually pay for a subscription to your "original" content instead of thinking the rest of the tax paying public should foot your TV viewing habit.
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why not just put british TV on other places?
the brits make some great TV shows, like "the IT crowd", "being human", and "spaced". there has to be a market for these shows outside of britain.
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Re: Re: Rather the Govt than DRM
I agree that letting the consumer vote with their wallets works, but unfortunately it'll probably mean more reality tv or other rubbish, and complete sidelining of small interest groups, minorities, etc.
Nice thing about public funding is that you get a bunch of people trying to act in "the public's best interest". rather pandering to the masses.
whether they get it right or not is up for discussion, I reckon they do allright. "Tthe Office" for example probably wouldn't have made it past the pilot on commercial grounds, nor Monty Python.
just because stuff is popular now doesn't mean it was originally.
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