Shouldn't a content provider have choice as to how you get to watch something?
By making it so you can only watch it on demand through your cable TV channel Fox gets money from you in a number of different ways;
The ads that screen before and during the show. The money the cable provider has to pay Fox to have the channel. The money the provider has to give Fox for the on demand service.
Plus it stops the majority of armchair hackers from putting it up on youtube etc. If it was made available on the web, then Fox would only get a very small percentage of the ad money. And of course you wouldn't have to watch it when it's on TV. The aim is to keep you watching your TV and taking your money. People watching on the web don't pay as much attention to the ads.
Fox doesn't promote piracy as much as it promotes getting you to sit on your couch most the evening, watching ads, eating Doritos and getting your daily dose of "Fair and Balanced" news.
So DirectTV isn't listed as an on demand provider? Then change your provider to one that pays Fox what they demand. So don't forget to set your calender for next weeks episode.
> Shouldn't a content provider have choice as to how you get to watch something?
Yes. But when they make bad choices good people (who want to pay for the content) will mention those bad choices. And bad people (who don't want to pay for the content) will just pirate, sometimes using the bad choice as a justification.
> Fox gets money from you in a number of different ways
I don't know how it works so maybe I get this next part wrong, but limiting the ways that people can pay you is not a way to maximise income.
> Plus it stops the majority of armchair hackers from putting it up on youtube etc
I don't understand what you're saying; plenty of on-demand cable only content is available on torrents. Technical restrictions cause inconvenience to paying customers but have little to no affect on pirates.
Shouldn't a content provider have choice as to how you get to watch something?
I'm not sure. Copyright exists for the sole purpose of providing incentive for people to create works for the rest of the population to enjoy. If the population cannot reasonably access that work, the intent of copyright protection is lost.
By making it so you can only watch it on demand through your cable TV channel Fox gets money from you in a number of different ways;
The ads that screen before and during the show. The money the cable provider has to pay Fox to have the channel. The money the provider has to give Fox for the on demand service.
Plus it stops the majority of armchair hackers from putting it up on youtube etc. If it was made available on the web, then Fox would only get a very small percentage of the ad money. And of course you wouldn't have to watch it when it's on TV. The aim is to keep you watching your TV and taking your money. People watching on the web don't pay as much attention to the ads.
Fox doesn't promote piracy as much as it promotes getting you to sit on your couch most the evening, watching ads, eating Doritos and getting your daily dose of "Fair and Balanced" news.
So DirectTV isn't listed as an on demand provider? Then change your provider to one that pays Fox what they demand. So don't forget to set your calender for next weeks episode.
p.s. Life is better without a TV.