Hard News: The Mega Conspiracy
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it'll be standard for all media in the future dylan, I believe
its the distribution channels that are changing not peoples desire to enjoy content... its for the content owners to find a way to generate revenue...
megaupload showed one way... allegedly with illegal content... replace that with sanctioned content and a revenue stream back to the owners/creators holders of the copyright and the publics desires can actually be catered to (as market forces surely dictate?)
no income vs potential income via one means is our current bottleneck
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Dylan Reeve, in reply to
The difficulty is that the US is the primary market. The shows are produced on contract for broadcasters, they then make on-demand (and download) rights available through one or more of a few services to a select geographic area.
Here, we are a secondary market. Shows here are sold to broadcasters, who typically buy all the rights (hence iSky, TVNZ On Demand and TV3 Catchup or whatever). In this region no-one (NetFlix, iTunes, Hulu) can offer that content as they don't have the rights.
Even if the broadcasters didn't buy the online rights, they will be sold subject to broadcast rights. So if NetFlix could buy rights for NZ to Doctor Who, for example, they still couldn't make it available until after the primary exclusive broadcast rights had been exercised (or expired).
The only slight hope of changing this is for the primary market to become online - so a company like NetFlix can commission original content for it's online market, make it available through it's service worldwide and sell broadcast rights as a secondary license.
In terms of getting shows on air here quicker - it's a goal but is made difficult by a few things. One it technical - it's hard to get the content here quick enough. Most HD shows are STILL shipped on tape. Files are very large and HD satellite transmissions are still highly contended and often aren't cost-effective to distribution to broadcasters. The second issue is one of practicalities, the US TV season is often interrupted with mid-season breaks of two to four weeks. Something that wouldn't work for an NZ audience. So shows usually have to start at least far enough behind the US to absorb this break.
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Pete Sime, in reply to
On a very brief one minute reading of the Extradition Act, where there is no extradition treaty, and the requesting country is not part of the Commonwealth, the Minister of Justice may make the decision. Such a decision would be subject to judicial review - which would include a consideration of the rights under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
The BBC do a good job with the iPlayer – I know they’ve geoblocked the tv content, but the radio is pretty good.
At a Great Blend some time ago, we had the BBC's Ashley Highfield as a guest. He asked the audience who would pay an annual license fee to get BBC content directly. At least two thirds of the people in the room put up their hands.
I'm told by senior TV execs that the sums just don't add up for content producers to have a direct relationship with NZ audiences, rather than than licensing for lump sums to broadcasters in each territory. But I suspect there's a degree of self-interest in that.
A major obstacle to any kind of experimental market is that conventional broadcasters generally buy internet as well as TV rights to programmes. And Sky has most of the rights locked up.
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
bookmakers and digesting turfs...
Territorial licensing and distribution agreements are a pain – but remain entirely logical with respect to physical product.
Is this what is stopping iBooks being available for sale in New Zealand?
(ie: a digital remnant of the publishers' division of global territories) -
YouTube has signed revenue-share agreements with several rights agencies and has begun to commission TV works, but there’s just not enough revenue.
Here's more on where that may be heading :)
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Dylan Reeve, in reply to
it’ll be standard for all media in the future dylan, I believe
its the distribution channels that are changing not peoples desire to enjoy content… its for the content owners to find a way to generate revenue…
megaupload showed one way… allegedly with illegal content… replace that with sanctioned content and a revenue stream back to the owners/creators holders of the copyright and the publics desires can actually be catered to (as market forces surely dictate?)
no income vs potential income via one means is our current bottleneck
The problem is that most of the content is created for TV broadcast. Say what you want about the end of linear TV, it's still the driving force of video creation (TV production eclipses film and everything else). While TV channels are the source of this content the model isn't going to change drastically. Until the returns on direct sales (through streaming or downloads) for a show in a region like NZ can exceed the licensing revenue of the same show by a broadcaster the broadcaster will be the primary distribution channel and will dictate the timing and ultimate availability of other channels.
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TV channels are the source of this content the model isn’t going to change drastically
Mostly with you. Dylan, but it already has changed a great deal. And we'll see more change. NZ more-or-less missed the cable boom, but that fragmented markets in the US and Europe.
Lots of 'shopping channels'... but also HBO making direct to cable shows- including some of the best TV drama ever produced- that have never been broadcast free-to-air in the US. -
Graeme Edgeler, in reply to
On a very brief one minute reading of the Extradition Act, where there is no extradition treaty, and the requesting country is not part of the Commonwealth, the Minister of Justice may make the decision.
We have an extradition treaty with the United States.
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Islander, in reply to
It's also not simple for writers copyright, because that is a 3-layer - and sometimes 4 & more layer- shitpile.
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Sacha, in reply to
Until the returns on direct sales (through streaming or downloads) for a show in a region like NZ can exceed the licensing revenue of the same show by a broadcaster the broadcaster will be the primary distribution channel and will dictate the timing and ultimate availability of other channels.
Unless a government with balls regulates otherwise.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
A major obstacle to any kind of experimental market is that conventional broadcasters generally buy internet as well as TV rights to programmes. And Sky has most of the rights locked up.
And it’ll get worse before it gets better. SKY is becoming the Ma Bell of NZ TV. Can anyone dig dirt on its political ties, and more importantly, its role in the Skynet Act (which was largely overlooked, if not spun into oblivion)? And someone needs to rat to the Commerce Commission about Igloo.
Already, Netflix has openly stated it’s bypassing NZ because of what it says is sub-par Internet. As long as the Internet in NZ remains in its current state, it won’t pose a threat to SKY anytime soon.
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nzlemming, in reply to
Is this what is stopping iBooks being available for sale in New Zealand?
(ie: a digital remnant of the publishers’ division of global territories)Pretty much, yes.
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nzlemming, in reply to
The thing about Sky (and the other entities we tend to regard as ratbags in this area) is that they don't have to behave corruptly to get the job done. They pay people to liaise with the government officials and ministers and that may be their entire job. Simply by being always available to talk on these matters makes them the authoritative voice, as far as the government is concerned. We 'amateurs', who work on this stuff in-between the day job, raising families, protesting against motorways, looking after aged relatives etc, can only front up when there's something worth the effort, like a Select Committee review of legislation. The 'trusted advisors' make themselves available to help craft the legislation.
Not sure what you mean about Igloo. Care to elucidate?
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Already, Netflix has openly stated it’s bypassing NZ because of what it says is sub-par Internet. As long as the Internet in NZ remains in its current state, it won’t pose a threat to SKY anytime soon.
Netflix did also cite the licensing situation. Sky's lock on content is a massive block to any new entrants. I think its rights acquisition policy is aimed less at generating revenue per se than at preventing any competition.
The parallels with Telecom in the 1990s are inescapable. I expect that at some point we'll have to go through a protracted and painful period of re-regulation under a different government. Meanwhile, we'll look like a bunch of wallies.
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Islander, in reply to
Well, partially: there is also the small matter of individual writers, and writers organisations in ANZ, being against the Apple set-up. Hint: the very expensive ANZ site for 'everything you can eat' of ANZ books is a fairly spectacular failure.
Backed by both CLL and NZSA (from which I have resigned), they are still begging people to sign up. VUP's site, Me.books got the jump on them years ago- -
3410,
The 'trusted advisors' make themselves available to help craft the legislation.
Even without all that, Sky now has the economic muscle to crush all before them (and will).
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Russell Brown, in reply to
The thing about Sky (and the other entities we tend to regard as ratbags in this area) is that they don’t have to behave corruptly to get the job done. They pay people to liaise with the government officials and ministers and that may be their entire job. Simply by being always available to talk on these matters makes them the authoritative voice, as far as the government is concerned.
Yes. Sky’s guy is Tony O’Brien, whose job is lunch and lobbying with MPs, officials, relevant industry managers and journalists. He’s pretty good at it. And we got some sense of the size of his budget during the election campaign last year – in a fairly unnerving blurring of boundaries, it actually paid for Sky’s election debates.
A former comms person for the New Zealand Rugby Union told me that whenever Jim Anderton started up about anti-siphoning laws for major sports events, he’d be required to call the New Zealand Rugby Union and tell them to issue a statement predicting The End of the World As We Know It.
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Has anyone else had the marketing questionnaire from Sky that sounds awfully like they're looking at setting up a Netflix-like service? It was interesting, spent a long time on a bunch of different pricing options.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
And here it is. Introducing SKYNET v0.5. Captions very welcome. Including, "we need your clothes. Your boots. And your Internet."
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nzlemming, in reply to
"All your TV are belong to us!", perhaps?
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
I just remembered another goodie… “Doubleplusgood.”
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Sacha, in reply to
Meanwhile, we'll look like a bunch of wallies
and it won't help us attract and keep high-value creative/knowledge industry workers who expect first-world cultural infrastructure.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Yes. Sky’s guy is Tony O’Brien, whose job is lunch and lobbying with MPs, officials, relevant industry managers and journalists. He’s pretty good at it.
I'm sure I'm going to get crucified for saying this, but I don't have a problem with lobbyists - whether they're corporate, unions or single issue whatevers. But I'd sure like to see a public register of lobbyists and more stringent disclosure of their interactions with Ministers and senior civil servants.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
I’m sure I’m going to get crucified for saying this, but I don’t have a problem with lobbyists – whether they’re corporate, unions or single issue whatevers. But I’d sure like to see a public register of lobbyists and more stringent disclosure of their interactions with Ministers and senior civil servants.
Not to worry Craig, the nails aren't coming out any time soon. Lobbying and political donations themselves aren't the problem. Not telling the whole story about them is.
And SKY supported the Skynet Act, but didn't seem to take any of the fallout, unlike the Govt of the day and Big Music and Big Film.
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