Will TV repeats on the Australian iTunes store fight piracy?
Australians can finally download televisions shows from the Australian iTunes store. But Adam Turner argues iTunes downloads aren't really any better than BitTorrent, or DVD for that matter.
Firstly, I should give some credit where credit is due. For years the Australian tech media has canned Apple for not selling TV and movie downloads from the local iTunes store. Enterprising Aussies have found creative ways to source content from the US iTunes store, while others just turned to the BitTorrent channel. Finally Apple has delivered the goods but, as always, I want more.
Apple launched the TV download service with zero fanfare on Tuesday evening, beating the official press release by a good 12 hours. It would seem the left and right hands need to sign up for a joint Mobile Me account so they can keep their calendars in sync.
Content providers for the new service include ABC Studios, the Disney Channel, MTV, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Australia's Nine Network. Available programs include Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and South Park, whilst Australian content includes McLeod's Daughters, Sea Patrol II, Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes. All programs sell for $2.99 per episode, compared to $US1.99 in the United States, and an entire season can be purchased from between $15 and $65.
Downloads can be watched on your computer or transferred to an iPod, iPhone or Apple TV set top box - which brings the Apple TV another step closer to actually being useful. Unfortunately none of the available programs appear to be first run, all have screened previously on Australian television.
I currently watch Lost on the BitTorrent channel, not because I can't wait for it to screen on Australian television but because I can't stand watching it on commercial television. Australia's free-to-air commercial networks treat viewers with such contempt that it's little wonder we're some of the world's biggest video pirates.
Star Trek fans suffered at the hands of Channel Nine for years but, when "normal" shows such as The Sopranos and West Wing were pushed into the graveyard sci-fi time slot, normal viewers finally understood why Trekkies have been calling down Klingon curses on Channel Nine for eons. Suburbanites called upon their technophile friends for a crash course in file-sharing and joined the growing ranks of BitTorrent users. The networks have no-one to blame but themselves.
Apple's timing on this one seems strange, as the announcement would have fitted in nicely with the opening of the Sydney Apple Store or the Australian launch of the iPhone. Like I said, every show seems to be a repeat, which offers a clue to Apple's timing.
It would appear Apple waited until the final episode of Grey's Anatomy season 4 screened in Australia on Sunday night, and then the last episode of Sea Patrol on Monday night, before it released them on the iTunes store.
Many first-run programs are available from the US iTunes store the day after they appear on TV, but it's a bit hit and miss. Most US shows are between series at the moment, but while Weeds has launched into series 4 on Showtime the iTunes store still only offers season 3.
The initial US press release in 2005 regarding television downloads said; "Customers can now purchase and download their favorite television shows from iTunes the day after they air on TV". This phrase is conspicuously absent from the Australian press release, which is a worry. It's interesting that only the first six episodes of Sea Patrol series 2 are available, even though the series finale screened this week. Apple's Australian iTunes website says "For $2.99 own the latest episode of your favourite show as early as one day after it airs" - but this is a direct cut n' paste from the US website so I'm more inclined to trust the press release.
I might pay Apple to watch a first-run series like Lost at roughly the same time it screens on TV, but not months later. If I wanted to purchase a series to keep after it screened, I'd buy it on DVD - which gives me a physical backup, better picture quality and greater playback flexibility. In some cases it would also be cheaper to buy it on DVD. I buy music on CD, rather than via download, for all the same reasons.
An all-you-can-eat subscription service that lets me access new music and television as it was released might see me hand over some cash. I don't care about keeping Lost, I just want to watch it. Putting up episodes on the iTunes store months later won't lure me away from BitTorrent. It will be interesting to see what happens on the Australian iTunes store when shows such as Lost and Grey's Anatomy return to television later this year.
UPDATE: I approached Apple for comment before I wrote this post, but there was a delay in getting back to me. Apple's local head of PR assures me Australians will get a similar deal to the rest of the world;
In response to your question, we will be adding content all of the time, including and especially the day-after an episode airs.
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