So what is driving piracy? Traditional arguments have piracy revolving around getting something for nothing, however there are other issues. People are tired of waiting months to get content that's already aired ages ago elsewhere. Local video on demand services are also unfortunately pretty lacklustre. While both Quickflix and Ezyflix attempt to fill a niche already occupied by piracy, each has their fair share of pros and cons.
Testing out both services, I quickly came to the conclusion that while Quicklflix's pricing isn't too bad, their content selection isn't as compelling as what can be pirated, and although Ezyflix's content seems more up to date, it is pricey (especially when compared to pirated stuff) and the service felt also clunky in use compared to pirating content.
Additionally, watching TV on a PC or tablet doesn't come close to the social nature of in-lounge big screen media consumption. Sadly the number of off-the shelf big screen compatible media players supporting Quickflix and Ezyflix service is comparatively limited (you could of course build a media PC and plug it into a TV, but for many this is too costly and/or too complex an undertaking).
Even though the quality of the video I downloaded or streamed from both services was on the whole pretty hard to fault, neither service is likely to replace my TV viewing habits until prices fall and a set-top device is available that easy enough to use that an entire family can use it without first enrolling at university for an advanced diploma in advanced rocketry.
Quickflix wins points here in that they are integrated into selected Sony smart TVs. This said, Samsung's recent acquisition of Boxee could soon see the Boxee interface appearing on Samsung tellies, meaning streamed content such as Ezyflix should also be watchable on a Samsung telly at some point in the future. Here's hoping.
Even still, superficially, both services compare poorly to piracy, and it isn't until you weigh up the fine print that their attractiveness becomes apparent. Heading to a torrent tracker site, such as the PirateBay, you can easily find almost any content you'd care to name using its search engine (that is of course providing you can stomach its increasingly distasteful and intrusive advertising). Navigating content on both services isn't terribly difficult either, but there are substantial gaps in the content of both services.
The cost (free provided you don't get busted and hit with huge fines) is also pretty hard to argue with. This said, Quickflix's monthly fee for all you can eat is also pretty reasonable for heavy users casual users however won't see a lot of value in paying for something they use irregularly. Ezyflix's pay per movie or season of TV show will be a tad more costly for the heavy user, but is likely to satisfy casual users.
Another bugbear of media consumers is DRM (digital rights management). Initially set up to halt file sharing and copying, DRM is at best an annoyance and is usually defeated by those in the know. DRM has also seen studios treating their customers like criminals, greatly inconveniencing them. DRM protected files cannot be transferred between devices (which is this tablet, smartphone and PC owning age is just silly) and usually requires a specialised player (most of which are just awful to use).
Pirated content usually doesn't require you navigate any DRM before you can watch content (a lot of pirated content will play back fine on a games console or PC using freely available software such as VLC). One key downside is that its quality can vary widely though, especially for newer content that has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-Ray. Quality was not an issue with both services, video looked great, as it should if you've plunked down a handful of cash for it.
Unfortunately, as long as the legal alternatives lag behind what is available via piracy, the sad fact of the matter is that video on demand will continue to play second fiddle. Thankfully there are alternatives to piracy in the form of proxy servers that'll bypass geo-locked content for services such as Netflix, Hulu and the BBC's iPlayer. Slingshot has already implemented a global mode free of charge for its subscribers that gives access geo-locked content in the US and the UK.
An even simpler answer could involve content creators working with the networks to embed adverts along the bottom of their content (in a similar fashion to the news tickers used by CNN and other news services) and then uploading the content to torrent tracker sites, creating legit torrent files.
The pros of such an approach potentially outweigh the cons by a significant margin. Torrent traffic is already fairly accurately monitored so that content creators can find out which shows were downloaded by how many people and this in turn means that a whole new stream of advertising revenues is waiting to be tapped into. Content could remain free, subsidised by advertising.
Peer to peer technologies also perform better as they scale upwards, and don't require massive data centre investments. I'd wager that most advertisers would also salivate at being able to hawk their wares to an audience of 432 million people.
I am of course grossly oversimplifying and by now there is a high probability that numerous TV execs and their legal counsels already having read this sputtering "but you can't do that!". Perhaps they need to ask themselves this simple question: What are the consequences of doing nothing?
Downloading a TV show or movie denies studios of revenues (be they DVD, Blu-ray sales or ratings and advertising). Studios are not here to be our friends, they're businesses and exist first and foremost to make a buck. Based on this, it is fair to say that if the current trend continues and the scale shown by the NBC study continues to grow, many studios will simply find it easier to walk away rather than continuing to haemorrhage ratings and revenues to piracy. Taken to its logical extreme, this could see a huge reduction in the availability of content, with reality TV rubbish such as desertislandtheblocksurvivor dominating our screens. I cringe at the thought
Sadly the status quo looks set to continue as content creators and their lawyers are too nervous to explore online alternatives that they have little control over while networks seeks to protect their investment in broadcast infrastructure. This is both sad and crazy given a population that is larger than most countries is already engaging in piracy.
