Channel5 to supply programme downloads

[Paul K]

BBC

Five offers programme downloads
TV channel Five has said it will be the first UK broadcaster to offer parts of its shows for sale as legal downloads.
From Monday, viewers of motoring show Fifth Gear can pay £1.50 for "DVD quality" downloads of car reviews.
Legal music download sites have become hugely popular - but TV companies have so far not used the same technology to put programmes online.
But British viewers illegally download US shows in relatively high numbers, recent research suggested.
Producers said reviews of 12 cars such as the Porsche 911 and Ferrari F430 would be available to buy as downloads from Monday.

COOL!

Hope BBC follow suit

[Chimaera]

Yes - it would be better if they were allowing Top Gear to be downloaded!

Originally Posted by Chimaera

Yes - it would be better if they were allowing Top Gear to be downloaded!

have to make do with 'Fifth Gear' new series starting tonight - I know Tiff doesn't substitute for Richard Hammond in your affections, but the cars are good - and it is presumably these reviews that will be downloadable.

[Chimaera]

Originally Posted by homealone

have to make do with 'Fifth Gear' new series starting tonight - I know Tiff doesn't substitute for Richard Hammond in your affections, but the cars are good - and it is presumably these reviews that will be downloadable.

OOOhhh I don't know what you mean Gaz - it's only the cars that I'm interested in!!

[mrlipring]

PARTS of its shows? I'd expect to get a whole half hour, or hour long show for £1.50.

No wonder people download things. When you consider that you can rent a fairly recent film for a few quid, is £1.50 really a sensible amount to ask for PART of an episode of a tv show? Only real fans would pay to see it, and they'd have seen/recorded it already.

Also, what exactly do they term as dvd quality? It's not like they can refund you if you don't like blockiness etc.

As for the brits downloading UStv shows, when we're forced to wait 3 months to see them, and with there being so little of value on tv (on either side of the atlantic) they can't expect much else.

What i don't like is the several gaps in the US programming schedule. Keeps us Lost junkies waiting.

[Millay]

It will be interesting to see how this pricing works out, if its is a per month subscription fee, and you get the whole programees then, it would be worthwile, hey they can leave the adverts in and use some of the ad revenue to help pay for it, i wont be paying £1.50 for clips! DVD qualitiy or not!

I hope the BBC get it together soon:
http://p2p.weblogsinc.com/entry/4070876008797410/

[andygrif]

Originally Posted by Paul

BBC

I think Fifth Gear is one of the very few programmes that Five comissions. Most of it was bought-in stuff last time I checked.

They wouldn't be able to make something like Joey available for download without some serious cash being handed over to the rights owners, if at all.

[punky]

I don't think it will stop piracy, I think it will help it. It will save people having to go through that slow, error prone video encoding process. It will also ensure all pirates get DVD quality programs from C5.

I think they just want people to watch, they don't care how they get them anymore. I live in East London and I still don't get C5 over a bunny-ears-ariel. Broadcasts over air would cease before they get the signal over my way.

It's got to be something a damn sight more interesting than 5th Gear for me to fork out money...I balk at the Front Row prices...and C feature films.

[jrhnewark]

£1.50 for a clip!!

What are they on! I wouldn't give you £1.50 for an hours programming!!

I might give 50p for a whole episode of Top Gear, but £1.50 would be taking the mick!!

[MovedGoalPosts]

I suspect the problem with the price is to do with the method of payment. £1.50 seems a lot, but if you take off the costs of setting up a website and server, and more expensively the credit card payment receiving facility deducting charges that go to the bank off each transaction, there is probably little left in any earnings.

[moffmeister]

The BBC REALLY should have to make programme d/ls available considering it's taxpayers' money!