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Game of Thrones Piracy Rates Soar Courtesy of HBO's Stubbornness

HBO's hit fantasy series "Game of Thrones" has historically been one of the most pirated TV shows on the Internet, thanks largely to HBO's stubborn refusal to offer streaming HBO content without subscribing to a traditional (and expensive) cable TV package. With the show's recent season four premiere, "Game of Thrones" is again lighting up BitTorrent distribution networks like a Christmas tree.

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As such, Torrent Freak took an interesting look at what it costs per episode to watch the show if you want to do so via the legitimate route. The results are better or worse, depending where you live. Australia, for example, isn't cheap if you go the traditional route:
quote:
In Australia, Game of Thrones fans need a Foxtel subscription. When we look at the packages offered on the website the cheapest option appears to be the movie and drama combo, which costs $74 AUD (~ 70 USD) per month. However, the minimum subscription term is six months, which with the added costs adds up to $520 AUD (~ 490 USD).

Assuming that someone’s only interested in watching Game of Thrones, an Australian fan will have to pay $52 AUD (~ 49 USD) per episode, which is rather expensive.


Granted even if you pay for traditional cable and choose HBO Go, there's no guarantee the service won't choke during your program. HBO is, regardless of what copyright maximalists like to believe, driving users to piracy by forcing traditional cable on users, and there's simply no indication that's going to change anytime soon.

Update: It looks like the show is once again setting records for BitTorrent swarm size.
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brianiscool
join:2000-08-16
Tampa, FL

brianiscool

Member

Show

Is this show even worth watching?
C4Xplosive
join:2002-02-21
Vancouver, WA

2 recommendations

C4Xplosive

Member

Re: Show

Hodor!

Torrent it and find out.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

Older seasons of many or most HBO shows are available for purchase on Amazon. Wait a year and buy it if you want, no need to steal it.

On the list I see the most recent episode of The Big Bang Theory (S7 E20) is listed as the 5th most downloaded. This is available within hours or broadcast at Amazon instant video for $1.88 in HD if you subscribe.

Karl is wrong, people would steal content to save less than two bucks. That The Big Bang Theory tops one of the episodes of Game of Thrones indicates his error.

Karl, sorry, I subscribe to The Big Bang Theory, Amazon made it available to me within 4 hours of network broadcast for $1.88. If HBO did the same with Game of Thrones, it is likely you'd still see Game of Thrones topping the list.

Don't blame HBO for people's greed.

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT

5 recommendations

SimbaSeven

Member

Re: Show

»theoatmeal.com/comics/ga ··· _thrones

Enough said.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

The comic is wrong, seasons 1-3 of Game of Thrones are available at Amazon or iTunes, the comic claims the "greedy" producers have not made season 1 available, this is untrue. Seasons 1-3 are available.

Worse, you ignored, the 5th most downloaded entry in Karl's list to justify how awful HBO is, was The Big Bang Theory S7 E20, which IS available at Amazon for $1.88 plus tax (as appropriate).

Your comic book character would steal a 4 hour old video costing less than $2 bucks and is an example of the greed of people, not corporations.

The view that somehow people are innocent lambs forced to steal, is not true. The Big Bang Theory episode on the list demonstrates this.
mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI

1 recommendation

mogamer

Member

Re: Show

said by pandora:

The comic is wrong, seasons 1-3 of Game of Thrones are available at Amazon or iTunes, the comic claims the "greedy" producers have not made season 1 available, this is untrue. Seasons 1-3 are available.

Worse, you ignored, the 5th most downloaded entry in Karl's list to justify how awful HBO is, was The Big Bang Theory S7 E20, which IS available at Amazon for $1.88 plus tax (as appropriate).

Your comic book character would steal a 4 hour old video costing less than $2 bucks and is an example of the greed of people, not corporations.

The view that somehow people are innocent lambs forced to steal, is not true. The Big Bang Theory episode on the list demonstrates this.

Dude, it's an older strip.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by mogamer:

said by pandora:

The comic is wrong, seasons 1-3 of Game of Thrones are available at Amazon or iTunes, the comic claims the "greedy" producers have not made season 1 available, this is untrue. Seasons 1-3 are available.

Worse, you ignored, the 5th most downloaded entry in Karl's list to justify how awful HBO is, was The Big Bang Theory S7 E20, which IS available at Amazon for $1.88 plus tax (as appropriate).

Your comic book character would steal a 4 hour old video costing less than $2 bucks and is an example of the greed of people, not corporations.

The view that somehow people are innocent lambs forced to steal, is not true. The Big Bang Theory episode on the list demonstrates this.

Dude, it's an older strip.

Then it ain't "nuff said", it's out of date and wrong. Folks are stealing less than $2 content that's available 4 hours after broadcast. Karl is wrong, people will steal anything. The problem isn't greed of HBO, but of people.

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

1 recommendation

Hall

MVM

Re: Show

said by pandora:

The problem isn't greed of HBO, but of people.

Put it this way - if if wasn't available via torrent, I wouldn't watch it, period. I wouldn't subscribe to HBO (or, in turn, HBO Go), stream it via Amazon, or buy the DVD.

I wouldn't even rent the DVD for "binge" viewing. In the case of GoT, it's because we have kids....

Packeteers
Premium Member
join:2005-06-18
Forest Hills, NY
Asus RT-AC3100
(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

2 recommendations

Packeteers

Premium Member

Re: Show

you make a good point about some no p2p/torrent alternate reality. I read the books years ago, so I'd wait till the DVD's were at the public library. thus the best way for HBO to make money off ME would be to start streaming to non CableTV subs at a fair price.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora to Hall

Premium Member

to Hall
said by Hall:

said by pandora:

The problem isn't greed of HBO, but of people.

Put it this way - if if wasn't available via torrent, I wouldn't watch it, period. I wouldn't subscribe to HBO (or, in turn, HBO Go), stream it via Amazon, or buy the DVD.

I wouldn't even rent the DVD for "binge" viewing. In the case of GoT, it's because we have kids....

THAT is a truth that Karl doesn't wish to discuss. If it isn't available free, people don't want to pay for it. He blames HBO's greed, but it's not only the greed of HBO, but of consumers.

Greed motivates us all, moderated by law or morality for individuals.

TheBionic
Funkier than a mohair disco ball.
Premium Member
join:2009-07-06
united state

TheBionic

Premium Member

Re: Show

Some people will always steal, sure. And some people will steal GoT no matter how cheap it is (by the way, I don't consider almost $2 an episode of a half hour sitcom cheap).

The point is, if HBO made GOT easier to legally access, less people would torrent it. Nobody is advocating the point of vie that torrenting would disappear. Of course it wouldn't. But locking down your content as hard as HBO does ensures astronomical rates of torrenting. They don't even release the blu-rays until the January after the show ends in June. But as I see it, that is their choice.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by TheBionic:

Some people will always steal, sure. And some people will steal GoT no matter how cheap it is (by the way, I don't consider almost $2 an episode of a half hour sitcom cheap).

The point is, if HBO made GOT easier to legally access, less people would torrent it. Nobody is advocating the point of vie that torrenting would disappear. Of course it wouldn't. But locking down your content as hard as HBO does ensures astronomical rates of torrenting. They don't even release the blu-rays until the January after the show ends in June. But as I see it, that is their choice.

It wouldn't make any difference. Game of Thrones season 1-3 is available on Amazon or iTunes. 10 episodes for $28 SD, $38 for 10 episodes HD.

If you consider $2 for a popular half hour show expensive (The Big Bang Theory), certainly $4 for another popular hour long show will also be too expensive (Game of Thrones). As such, availability will make no difference to you, or to most who torrent.

Any price is too much if you are used to free content.

TheBionic
Funkier than a mohair disco ball.
Premium Member
join:2009-07-06
united state

TheBionic

Premium Member

Re: Show

You're simply wrong. We're not talking about the torrenting episodes of season 1-3. We're talking about last Sunday's episode. And the only way to watch that is either a subscription or a torrent. If there were another option, some people would use it. Some wouldn't. The torrenting rates would go down.

For the record, I don't steal. I am an HBO subscriber and buy the blu-rays when they become available.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by TheBionic:

You're simply wrong. We're not talking about the torrenting episodes of season 1-3. We're talking about last Sunday's episode. And the only way to watch that is either a subscription or a torrent. If there were another option, some people would use it. Some wouldn't. The torrenting rates would go down.

For the record, I don't steal. I am an HBO subscriber and buy the blu-rays when they become available.

The reason people want last Sunday's episode is it's topical, nobody is going to talk about Tony Soprano on Monday, but folks will talk about the death of a hated king on Game of Thrones.

HBO creates content to get viewers, to generate revenue, the actors, directors, writers, makeup, lighting, wardrobe, and tons of other folks who produce this show want to be paid.

Self interest causes HBO to create this content, and self interest causes HBO to not cannibalize cable subscription revenue. If you or I want this we can subscribe to HBO or can wait until next March and buy it from Amazon. At that time, most will be discussing season 5 and my guess is the arrival of dragons.

There was a time when the Soprano's was the hit at HBO, today it's Game of Thrones, in a few years it will be something else. HBO will want to maximize profit.

Users will either subscribe to HBO, wait a year, or illegally stream.

My fascination is with Karl, who can only blame HBO, when HBO's content would still be streamed illegally.

At the moment, I subscribe to Marvell's Agents of Shield, The Big Bang Theory and Person of Interest on Amazon. It is an experiment at cord cutting. So far it seems to be working. I believe this summer I will put my satellite service on vacation ($5 per month to hold it) and see if over 3 months it is possible to not miss satellite. Assuming all goes well, by this fall I will have cut satellite service and be streaming only.

I do not believe there is any need to illegally stream content to achieve cord cutting. I do not believe it is necessary to steal HBO's content to have topical discussions with people.

jmn1207
Premium Member
join:2000-07-19
Sterling, VA

jmn1207

Premium Member

Re: Show

I think the bigger issue is that the technology exists to allow a customer to be able to watch a show at a reasonable price on a multitude of devices and at many locations at a great quality, if only it weren't for those entities struggling to come to grips with a solution that allows for this convenience while still providing a super-syrupy sweet profit.

We went through this same issue with music. The artists and media conglomerates are simply this age's buggy whip makers of yore. The only problem is that the buggy whip makers probably didn't have the lawyers and seemingly endless amounts of money to throw at them and the politicians that abuse their power.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by jmn1207:

I think the bigger issue is that the technology exists to allow a customer to be able to watch a show at a reasonable price on a multitude of devices and at many locations at a great quality, if only it weren't for those entities struggling to come to grips with a solution that allows for this convenience while still providing a super-syrupy sweet profit.

We went through this same issue with music. The artists and media conglomerates are simply this age's buggy whip makers of yore. The only problem is that the buggy whip makers probably didn't have the lawyers and seemingly endless amounts of money to throw at them and the politicians that abuse their power.

The technology exists, and right and left content owners are selling and streaming stuff online.

Karl's complaint was true a few years ago, but things have changed. There is a ton of content, current, and old, available from numerous sources online, all legally. There is no need to steal, but I've read posts here that even $2 for an episode of a popular show is too much.

When people think ANY amount of money for a program is too much, or is unfair, they will steal. Karl never seems to try and understand the inherent problem of those who steal content. Personally, I'd like to see a bit more balance.

Are content owners greedy, you bet. Are viewers greedy, you bet.

jmn1207
Premium Member
join:2000-07-19
Sterling, VA

jmn1207

Premium Member

Re: Show

It's my opinion that current pricing schemes could be much cheaper for the consumer, while allowing many more viewers to have access to the content over a multitude of formats. The obstacles preventing this from happening are fabricated by the greedy conglomerates clinging to antiquated business models using outdated technology.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by jmn1207:

It's my opinion that current pricing schemes could be much cheaper for the consumer, while allowing many more viewers to have access to the content over a multitude of formats. The obstacles preventing this from happening are fabricated by the greedy conglomerates clinging to antiquated business models using outdated technology.

Lets give it a try.

How much should a half hour popular show like Big Bang Theory cost?

How much should a very popular hour program like Game of Thrones cost?

jmn1207
Premium Member
join:2000-07-19
Sterling, VA

jmn1207

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by pandora:

said by jmn1207:

It's my opinion that current pricing schemes could be much cheaper for the consumer, while allowing many more viewers to have access to the content over a multitude of formats. The obstacles preventing this from happening are fabricated by the greedy conglomerates clinging to antiquated business models using outdated technology.

Lets give it a try.

How much should a half hour popular show like Big Bang Theory cost?

How much should a very popular hour program like Game of Thrones cost?

If we consider Hulu Plus is $8 per month, and it has been suggested that advertising doubles the earnings, than $20 per month should make more money with no advertisements at the current subscriber numbers. If the media conglomerates all cooperated, and abstained from the practice of keeping their content out of reach by requiring participation of pay TV accounts, more people would likely sign up.

It all seems very inexpensive when one considers that modern distribution methods can make the content available to countless millions globally.

Sure, if Game of Thrones was only made for Bill Gates and a few billionaires, I suppose it would be reasonable to expect HBO to charge several million per episode, while trying to prevent others for seeing it. Though, in a natural market, that price should drop significantly as more paying customers could be allowed access to the show. While there are different places in the supply/demand curve where profits are nearly the same, media is art, and I would hope that everyone involved would rather have as many viewers watching what they created at a low cost rather than having fewer people watch at a greatly increased price. Though, as what seemingly always happens in these situations, there are a bunch of lawyers and talentless profit mongers with too much control over the distribution.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by jmn1207:

[
If we consider Hulu Plus is $8 per month, and it has been suggested that advertising doubles the earnings, than $20 per month should make more money with no advertisements at the current subscriber numbers.

So your answer is $20 a month to see ALL HBO content ever made or to be made? That correct?

jmn1207
Premium Member
join:2000-07-19
Sterling, VA

jmn1207

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by pandora:

said by jmn1207:

[
If we consider Hulu Plus is $8 per month, and it has been suggested that advertising doubles the earnings, than $20 per month should make more money with no advertisements at the current subscriber numbers.

So your answer is $20 a month to see ALL HBO content ever made or to be made? That correct?

How would anyone seriously be able to answer you? I'm suggesting that I believe that Disney could make equal profits or even more by providing a much lower cost with a significantly greater availability. Remove the restrictions and find a price that will not be too high as to jeopardize the business model and generate increased piracy.

I get high quality music from Google at $7.99 per month, as 320 kbps mp3 is typically audibly transparent to practically anyone that attempts to find a difference in a properly controlled ABX test. That's nearly 20 million songs. If a music CD can be compared to a DVD or Bluray disc, than it would seem reasonable that a similar model could be 2 - 3 times more for a huge library of movies and TV content.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

1 edit

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

Disney doesn't seem to have a lower price than about $20 for HD classics like Mary Poppins. For this reason, many Disney titles seem to expensive to me, and do not get purchased for streaming.

If / when Disney lowers streaming cost for it's content, I'll purchase more, same with HBO.

However, believing something is too expensive, and blaming theft due to the price, seems a bit of a stretch. Streamed content isn't a matter of life and death.

jmn1207
Premium Member
join:2000-07-19
Sterling, VA

jmn1207

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by pandora:

Disney doesn't seem to have a lower price than about $20 for HD classics like Mary Poppins. For this reason, many Disney titles seem to expensive to me, and do not get purchased for streaming.

If / when Disney lowers streaming cost for it's content, I'll purchase more, same with HBO.

However, believing something is too expensive, and blaming theft on due to the price, seems a bit of a stretch. Streamed content isn't a matter of life and death.

The content is artificially made too expensive, and this business model is going the way of the buggy whip. It's a big transition, and the entire business will have to either adapt or increasingly suffer as technology simply makes the current model obsolete.

You are absolutely right, streamed content is certainly not a matter of life or death.
jmn1207

1 recommendation

jmn1207 to pandora

Premium Member

to pandora
said by pandora:

However, believing something is too expensive, and blaming theft on due to the price, seems a bit of a stretch. Streamed content isn't a matter of life and death.

A stretch? Maybe because theft has nothing to do with this? There is a direct correlation between copyright infringement and content availability, regardless of price. A reasonable price can only help to reduce copyright infringement.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by jmn1207:

said by pandora:

However, believing something is too expensive, and blaming theft due to the price, seems a bit of a stretch. Streamed content isn't a matter of life and death.

A stretch? Maybe because theft has nothing to do with this? There is a direct correlation between copyright infringement and content availability, regardless of price. A reasonable price can only help to reduce copyright infringement.

Number 5 on Karl's list was The Big Bang Theory S7 E20. It was available within hours after network broadcast for $1.88 plus tax on Amazon.

If what you say is true, why was a less than $2 item, available within hours of broadcast, the 5th most popular bittorrent download?

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall

MVM

Re: Show

said by pandora:

why was a less than $2 item, available within hours of broadcast, the 5th most popular bittorrent download?

BBT is available for free when it's aired as well. All you need is an antenna (and TV, of course) - no cable or satellite subscription required.

Maybe these people don't even have a TV and watch everything on their computer....

jmn1207
Premium Member
join:2000-07-19
Sterling, VA

jmn1207

Premium Member

Re: Show

To add a bit here, a single HD show is actually $2.99. To get the $1.88 per episode in HD quality, a customer would need to purchase a season pass at $37.60.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by jmn1207:

To add a bit here, a single HD show is actually $2.99. To get the $1.88 per episode in HD quality, a customer would need to purchase a season pass at $37.60.

Well, I'm in for a season pass. Does the difference between $2.99 and $1.88 really affect your decision much?

My hope in the future is we'll see more stuff like the Huffington post app on our TV's. It's a well rendered free channel, internet based, and seems to produce nice stuff at a very low cost. Maybe other channels will follow. I like the smart TV interface, and more free content, that's well organized and easy to stream is always appreciated.

jmn1207
Premium Member
join:2000-07-19
Sterling, VA

jmn1207

Premium Member

Re: Show

I don't directly purchase any shows or movies. I pay for subscriptions and I've yet to run out of something interesting to watch in the 4-6 hours per week that I watch TV.

If I wanted to watch any network broadcast show, I have the option to view it in HD over the air, and I can record it on one of my media servers to watch at my convenience. If I use MCEBuddy, the commercials are removed as well.

Yes, even $1.88 seems like a waste to me.

I was able to watch all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad over the span of 3 months with Netflix on my Roku 3. I got all that and much, much more for only $27.
CXM_Splicer
Looking at the bigger picture
Premium Member
join:2011-08-11
NYC

CXM_Splicer to jmn1207

Premium Member

to jmn1207
said by jmn1207:

A reasonable price can only help to reduce copyright infringement.

Undoubtedly true. Some would have us believe that there are no Netflix subscriptions or Amazon video purchases at all. Flawed logic can be used to say almost anything!

TheBionic
Funkier than a mohair disco ball.
Premium Member
join:2009-07-06
united state

TheBionic

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by CXM_Splicer:

said by jmn1207:

A reasonable price can only help to reduce copyright infringement.

Undoubtedly true. Some would have us believe that there are no Netflix subscriptions or Amazon video purchases at all. Flawed logic can be used to say almost anything!

pandora See Profile is asking the wrong questions and his logic is completely flawed. Yes, people still pirate. Even stuff that costs only $2. Shocking! The fact that common sense says many MORE would pirate if the $2 downloads weren't available doesn't fit his argument, so he ignores it.

The fact is, if nobody bought downloads because "it doesn't matter people steal anyway" then Netflix, Amazon, even Steam would be big wastes of time. The fact that they're all in fact booming shows the problem with his argument.
CXM_Splicer
Looking at the bigger picture
Premium Member
join:2011-08-11
NYC

CXM_Splicer

Premium Member

Re: Show

Yes, exactly right. Simply showing a program as the '5th most popular torrent' means absolutely nothing to this argument nor do the particular statistics he is gathering from the Pirate Bay data. The numbers would have to be qualified with sales numbers from Amazon to be relevant; otherwise they are completely relative.

Want a better metric? Look at the number of leechers (people currently downloading) for the highest listed show which has restricted availability... 11,604. Now compare that to the number of leechers for a show available immediately after airing for a reasonable price... 994. That's more than a TEN FOLD difference! Why anyone would try to use that as 'evidence' that there is NO difference is beyond me.
CXM_Splicer

CXM_Splicer to pandora

Premium Member

to pandora
said by pandora:

When people think ANY amount of money for a program is too much, or is unfair, they will [watch it for free]. Karl never seems to try and understand the inherent problem of those who steal content. Personally, I'd like to see a bit more balance.

Trying to classify anyone that watches for free as 'stealing' is pretty ridiculous even for you. The problem with your argument is that the people who would never pay a dime for the show (by your own definition) aren't costing HBO anything. The fact that they watch for free is immaterial, HBO has the same amount of money either way.

There are plenty of people that will pay for the show if HBO offered it for ala carte streaming immediately after broadcast. Those are the people HBO has a shot at making money from but HBO is turning their backs on these potential customers. The people who "think ANY amount of money for a program is too much, or is unfair" simply aren't going to pay ANYTHING; Karl is right to leave them out of the equation (though there are other stories that include them).

There will always be people that don't buy a product (for whatever reason)... get over it.

•••••••

TheBionic
Funkier than a mohair disco ball.
Premium Member
join:2009-07-06
united state

1 edit

TheBionic to pandora

Premium Member

to pandora
said by pandora:

said by TheBionic:

You're simply wrong. We're not talking about the torrenting episodes of season 1-3. We're talking about last Sunday's episode. And the only way to watch that is either a subscription or a torrent. If there were another option, some people would use it. Some wouldn't. The torrenting rates would go down.

For the record, I don't steal. I am an HBO subscriber and buy the blu-rays when they become available.

The reason people want last Sunday's episode is it's topical, nobody is going to talk about Tony Soprano on Monday, but folks will talk about the death of a hated king on Game of Thrones.

HBO creates content to get viewers, to generate revenue, the actors, directors, writers, makeup, lighting, wardrobe, and tons of other folks who produce this show want to be paid.

Self interest causes HBO to create this content, and self interest causes HBO to not cannibalize cable subscription revenue. If you or I want this we can subscribe to HBO or can wait until next March and buy it from Amazon. At that time, most will be discussing season 5 and my guess is the arrival of dragons.

There was a time when the Soprano's was the hit at HBO, today it's Game of Thrones, in a few years it will be something else. HBO will want to maximize profit.

Users will either subscribe to HBO, wait a year, or illegally stream.

My fascination is with Karl, who can only blame HBO, when HBO's content would still be streamed illegally.

At the moment, I subscribe to Marvell's Agents of Shield, The Big Bang Theory and Person of Interest on Amazon. It is an experiment at cord cutting. So far it seems to be working. I believe this summer I will put my satellite service on vacation ($5 per month to hold it) and see if over 3 months it is possible to not miss satellite. Assuming all goes well, by this fall I will have cut satellite service and be streaming only.

I do not believe there is any need to illegally stream content to achieve cord cutting. I do not believe it is necessary to steal HBO's content to have topical discussions with people.

It is necessary to steal HBO's content if you want to watch a current episode of Game of Thrones and don't want to subscribe to premium cable. And if HBO allowed their content to be streamed 4 hours after original airing, torrenting would go down, it's common sense. It wouldn't disappear, but it would lessen. That's all I'm saying, it's what Karl is saying, and what you were so adamantly disagreeing with upthread. Like Quintron said, HBO clearly doesn't give a shit, so obviously it's in HBO's financial interest to keep doing what they are doing, torrenting be damned.

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
Premium Member
join:2008-04-28
Tronna

El Quintron to TheBionic

Premium Member

to TheBionic
said by TheBionic:

The torrenting rates would go down.

I think they would, but HBO clearly doesn't give a shit, because their current business model makes them more money than providing a decent streaming service. They're even stated outright that they don't care if people pirate.

Case and point:

»www.forbes.com/sites/ins ··· bo-care/
said by Forbes/HBOceo :
"Basically, we've been dealing with this issue for years with HBO, literally 20, 30 years, where people have always been running wires down on the back of apartment buildings and sharing with their neighbors," he said. "Our experience is, it all leads to more penetration, more paying subs, more health for HBO, less reliance on having to do paid advertising%u2026 If you go around the world, I think you're right, Game of Thrones is the most pirated show in the world. Well, you know, that's better than an Emmy."
(snip)
But for now, Game of Thrones suffers an "acceptable" level of piracy that doesn't really hurt the bottom line for HBO or Time Warner.

Papageno
join:2011-01-26
Portland, OR

2 recommendations

Papageno to TheBionic

Member

to TheBionic
Hear hear. I bet tons of people would be lining up to pay 5 bucks an episode for legal HD copies of episodes that they could download the day after airing. Most people watch it with friends/family, so split up the cost and you're good.

Nice sig BTW. Man that takes me back. I graduated from college the year that Stop Making Sense came out.

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT
·StarLink

SimbaSeven to pandora

Member

to pandora
said by pandora:

Then it ain't "nuff said", it's out of date and wrong. Folks are stealing less than $2 content that's available 4 hours after broadcast. Karl is wrong, people will steal anything. The problem isn't greed of HBO, but of people.

Ok, Mr. Serious. Damn.

"Where's your sense of humor?", says Roger Rabbit.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Show

said by SimbaSeven:

said by pandora:

Then it ain't "nuff said", it's out of date and wrong. Folks are stealing less than $2 content that's available 4 hours after broadcast. Karl is wrong, people will steal anything. The problem isn't greed of HBO, but of people.

Ok, Mr. Serious. Damn.

"Where's your sense of humor?", says Roger Rabbit.

It's here, show me something funny.
Rekrul
join:2007-04-21
Milford, CT

Rekrul to pandora

Member

to pandora
said by pandora:

The comic is wrong, seasons 1-3 of Game of Thrones are available at Amazon or iTunes, the comic claims the "greedy" producers have not made season 1 available, this is untrue. Seasons 1-3 are available.

Are they available to stream in all countries?

••••••

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
Premium Member
join:2008-04-28
Tronna

1 recommendation

El Quintron to SimbaSeven

Premium Member

to SimbaSeven
LOL I forgot about this, until you brought it up again. Truest comic ever, I guess because it's impossible to tell if art is imitating life, or if life is imitating art.

EQ

Anonymous420
@wideopenwest.com

Anonymous420 to pandora

Anon

to pandora
Piracy if you could download a car i'd do it..... p.s the Internet is my DVR
jimboe
join:2000-08-14
New York

jimboe to C4Xplosive

Member

to C4Xplosive
simply- hilarious

rit56
join:2000-12-01
New York, NY

1 recommendation

rit56 to brianiscool

Member

to brianiscool
It's actually very good and if you decide to watch it at some point in your life like most shows like this start from season 1, episode 1. If you jump in you won't get it. It's a character driven story and it's quite good.
Gardener
Premium Member
join:2006-10-19
Burnaby, BC

1 recommendation

Gardener to brianiscool

Premium Member

to brianiscool
The scenery is quite good.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt to brianiscool

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to brianiscool
Apparently not worth paying for.

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Brian_M
join:2004-06-19
Manchester, GA

Brian_M to brianiscool

Member

to brianiscool
M'eh... I really liked the books (well, until I gave up mid-way through either 4 or 5, I forget). I couldn't even make it through season 1, episode 1... it's bad, Really bad.

What frustrates me is why I think it's so awful and why the show keeps breaking torrent records. Must be like sportsball stuff, I hate that sht too and yet it's a multi-million dollar industry.

•••

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall to brianiscool

MVM

to brianiscool
It's quite good, IMO. Even my wife watches it and she didn't used to like serious dramas like this, especially ones with strong violence.

We don't subscribe to HBO either...

Omega
Premium Member
join:2002-07-30
Golden, CO

1 recommendation

Omega to brianiscool

Premium Member

to brianiscool
said by brianiscool:

Is this show even worth watching?

Yes.

Mr Guy
@charter.com

Mr Guy to brianiscool

Anon

to brianiscool
said by brianiscool:

Is this show even worth watching?

Wow just wow.
axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC

axus to brianiscool

Member

to brianiscool
You could check out the books from the library for free! Or watch an episode at a friend's house.
Wilsdom
join:2009-08-06

Wilsdom to brianiscool

Member

to brianiscool
Nope, it's just filler. Though if you're the fangirl type you'll probably like it

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
Premium Member
join:2008-04-28
Tronna

El Quintron to brianiscool

Premium Member

to brianiscool
said by brianiscool:

Is this show even worth watching?

I asked myself the same thing for many, many years. I just started season one, and I'm enjoying it.

I can't say if it's the best thing ever, or it if would dethrone Breaking Bad as "best tv show in modern history"; but it's worth your time, I can say that.

Mr Guy
@charter.com

Mr Guy

Anon

Re: Show

It's good just try to avoid the spoilers. Also don't get too attached to any character.

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
Premium Member
join:2008-04-28
Tronna

El Quintron

Premium Member

Re: Show

I've already gotten hit with a couple by accident, my new rule is not to look up GoT at all until I'm done watching it.

I've also heard that he's pretty merciless with *all* characters. I'm actually in favor of this from a literary standpoint, it really creates suspense.

TuxRaiderPen2
Make America Great Again
join:2009-09-19

TuxRaiderPen2 to brianiscool

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to brianiscool
said by brianiscool:
Is this show even worth watching?
No! I am all for sex and nudity, but this thing was just dull, boring, and fell asleep.

The best way to view is to just get the clips of the nude scenes and move on.

Otherwise it is just another overy hyped series. Much like Boardwalk Empire, which is nothing more than the Sopranos in the 20-30's. If it were not for Kelley Macdonald I would never have even given it a once over.

The only thing worth torreting on HBO right now is Newsroom, Oliva Munn & Emily Mortimer.
videomatic3
join:2003-12-12
Pleasanton, CA

videomatic3

Member

piracy notices

could you imagine if hbo sent out 1.5 million dmca copyright notices? they would go bankrupt
existenz
join:2014-02-12

1 recommendation

existenz

Member

Re: piracy notices

That's what they get for using a 20th century distribution model.
haggelz
join:2010-07-04
Glendale, CA

haggelz

Member

I love people's justifications

First of all, can you really blame HBO for not wanting to cannibalize their cable business? They make millions of dollars from monthly from subs this way and use it finance some decent shows in the past decade, Curb your enthusiasm, Sopranos, Boardwalk empire, just to name a few.

Secondly, you can't justify piracy by saying x. Piracy is piracy. You like something? Pay for it. It wouldn't exist if it wasn't paid for by someone. Not available in the way you want? Still not justifiable. No ones "forcing users" into piracy.

Bottom line is HBO is a PREMIUM service. No one says you HAVE to watch the show the day after the episode is released in order to survive. If you can't afford it, then wait a year and rent the DVD or whatever. There is plenty of other low cost entertainment that doesn't require a cable subscription.

Finally, this website's reporting/headlines are laughable. HBO is in business to make money. "Stubbornness" is their attempt to make the most of it, not to ensure equality in entertainment to man kind.

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bookertdub
join:2012-10-08
San Diego, CA

bookertdub

Member

If One Has Traditional Cable...

...they'll more than likely have a digital cable box with access to HBO On Demand, which I would imagine not have the same crashing issues that HBOGO.com would have.
chgo_man99
join:2010-01-01
Sunnyvale, CA

chgo_man99

Member

I tried to download second episode from Usenet

and I couldn't find anything except for junk files! Usenet is becoming more and more useless. Just last week it was difficult for me but finally found a legitimate copy of first episode. Now I try to get second episode and its all flooded with password encrypted files, exe viruses. Also how do the uploaders get away with uploading only 50 mb malware but it shows on binsearch as 1.5 GB?

TuxRaiderPen2
Make America Great Again
join:2009-09-19

TuxRaiderPen2

Member

Re: I tried to download second episode from Usenet

said by chgo_man99:
and I couldn't find anything except for junk files! Usenet is becoming more and more useless. Just last week it was difficult for me but finally found a legitimate copy of first episode. Now I try to get second episode and its all flooded with password encrypted files, exe viruses. Also how do the uploaders get away with uploading only 50 mb malware but it shows on binsearch as 1.5 GB?
Well first an easy way to combat the issue of junk exe. Use a real OS which won't run that stuff to start.

»www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Second,

»nzbindex.nl/search/?q=ga ··· 1&more=0
Rekrul
join:2007-04-21
Milford, CT

Rekrul to chgo_man99

Member

to chgo_man99
said by chgo_man99:

and I couldn't find anything except for junk files! Usenet is becoming more and more useless.

I agree that it's getting much harder to find TV shows on Usenet. Half the time, it seems that the episodes don't get posted at all.

As for Game of Thrones, I assume you're talking about the current season. These are good copies;

»nzbindex.nl/release/1071 ··· ytes.nzb
»nzbindex.nl/release/1071 ··· .nfo.nzb

Packeteers
Premium Member
join:2005-06-18
Forest Hills, NY
Asus RT-AC3100
(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

Packeteers

Premium Member

thanks cabletv monopolies

if cabletv and isp's were nothing more than a content distribution system, i'd have hbo go on my roku3 by now. the fact that it's not is a clear indication of hbo and cabletv's need to maintain it's stranglehold on distribution. you would have though after year 1 of GoT piracy they would know better by now, but into year 3 and yet another government bought and paid for Comcast merger coming, it could be many more painful years until this industry wakes up and stops listening to it's fossilized executives who are all probably screaming for data caps as the latest nail in the p2p pandoras box that they already know they can never close, only provide a better alternative for - if they ever become enlightened enough to realize that. it's astonishing that with itunes as the clear example how pirated audio could still be well monetized after nearly a decade, that these fossils still don't recognize the same can happen to the video industry - if only steve jobs would have lived, we'd have a fully realized appleTV by now, with hbo go fully on board - instead we just have a lot of streaming wannabees.

•••

jseymour
join:2009-12-11
Waterford, MI

jseymour

Member

Have Read the Books, Seen A Season

My wife and I have read the books. We've watched the first season on Netflix (I presume--I don't recall). The books are pretty good, tho the author seems to have gotten bogged-down, lately. The first season of the TV series appears to be pretty faithful to the books, from what I recall.

Is it worth watching? My wife and I think so. Would never pay subscription TV rates to do so, however.

Jim

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall

MVM

Re: Have Read the Books, Seen A Season

You didn't watch it on Netflix. Amazon maybe, but you'd have to pay for it on an episode-by-episode basis (or is it available as an entire season ?).

EGeezer
Premium Member
join:2002-08-04
Midwest

EGeezer

Premium Member

What's a fair price?

After reading the responses that GoT is too expensive, I'm curious. For those who say they'd buy at a fair price,

1) What would be a fair price for an episode?

2) What would be a fair price for a season?

3) What would be a fair price for a permanent copy of each (e.g. DVD/BluRay, media file)

Subaru
1-3-2-4
Premium Member
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT

Subaru

Premium Member

I don't get it

What's so great about this show?

I never watched any of it.. it just seems like gladiators fighting?