AfterDawn: News

Fox to offer TV show reruns over Internet

According to the Wall Street Journal, News Corps' Fox Network has come to a deal with its 187 affiliated stations to show reruns of television shows on the Internet. The agreement will allow Fox to make 60% of its programming available online one day after it originally airs. By the agreement, stations essentially will get a 12.5 percent cut after costs. Fox is home to many mega-popular TV shows including American Idol.

Making television programming available on the Internet helps stations to claim a new stream of revenue for their programming, or to experiment with new ways to attract viewers. This is one of the aims of ABC's latest project which will put TV shows online for free on an advertising-supported Web service. Disney's ABC is home to popular shows like Lost and Desperate Housewives.



TV show piracy on the Internet is rampant. P2P networks, BitTorrent sites, IRC and Newsgroups are most used to download the latest shows just hours after they air. American Hit TV shows are available then to viewers in countries where shows tend to fall months behind (often whole seasons behind the US). Networks need to find ways to compete with this piracy and gain even more revenue from the Internet.

Source:
Reuters

Written by: James Delahunty @ 15 Apr 2006 13:01

• Previous article

• Beatles to finally sell songs online

• Next article

• Free Software Foundation to target DRM

• 18 comments

• MrToast

  I just dont understand why they make you pay for what they give us for free? I mean, if you Tivo an entire season of a TV show then watch it what is wrong with downloading it?
  
  Also, I think everything should be available for .99 to our friends in other countries.

  15.4.2006 14:43 #1

• SanStarko

  Hopefully Fox will do it for free the sameway that ABC are going to. I have no problem sitting through adverts if i'm getting to watch the shows over the net legally.
  
  The thing I can't understand. When the music industry realised that people were using the internet to get access to music they paniced and tried to sue everyone.
  
  When the movie industry realised that people were using the internet to get access to movies, they paniced and tried to sue everybody.
  
  Yet when the TV Networks realise that people are using the net to watch TV shows they work out a way to offer the shows for free (or cheap)over the net and still make money. Why couldn't the music and movie companies do that?

  15.4.2006 20:03 #2

• cousin80

  Why is it illegal to download the shows from the internet but yet legal to record them on my DVR?
  Makes no sense to me

  16.4.2006 05:25 #3

• lxfactor

  if its .99 in another country some kids who dont have a pc or something would pay top dollar for a complete season of the oc.. when the kid probably only paid 20 bucks for the one copy... so that wouldn't be a good idea

  16.4.2006 08:48 #4

• Dela

  I agree with last statement, i have seen what people are willing to pay for shows like Lost and Prison Break episodes here in ireland, as network that airs lost here is like 10 eps behind, and prison break hasnt even shown yet, whereas its on ep 18 in U.S.

  16.4.2006 10:42 #5

• rihgt682

  Does anyone have the link for the reruns?

  16.4.2006 16:50 #6

• lxfactor

  its not out yet... unless using bittorrent

  16.4.2006 18:54 #7

• pa104inf

  I also hope it goes for free, because I don't know how many times I have screwed up setting my VCR either forgeting to set the show or setting the wrong time or channel for the show. When the internet began to become available to the average person several years ago I hoped that someday we would be in the situation where you could watch a show that you missed over the internet.

  17.4.2006 06:54 #8

• saadfozi

  i think this has been happening on aol for a while now because i watched the whole first episode of reunion on aol unless it was just because of the premiere night.

  17.4.2006 12:33 #9

• shermie27

  Why cant it just be free and they put like 15 to 30 sec ads. in like every 5 mins ? They would probably make more money that way anyways.

  17.4.2006 16:42 #10

• ZippyDSM

  I did some research over why ANime cant be done like this its kinda simple most US TV shows make money handover fist andonce a anime show gets "dubed" it needs money badly,so most US TV should be free simpley becuse they are makeing money handover fist,some need to be 1-2 a ep.
  this is with in reason...altho that said the japanase companys sell thier DVDs at nearly $10 a ep and dvds are limited to 2-3 eps a DVD 0-o uhg..

  17.4.2006 17:11 #11

• Skitzy

  i say make it all free everywhere for the general public... and let ads pay the way... just like it has for television... why fix it if its not broke? and if the cable companies dont like it... let them air there ads for free... because if you try and put a price on it it will be bootlegged...

  17.4.2006 21:05 #12

• ZippyDSM

  Skitzy
  Becuse cable companys are to busy being stagnat keeping prices inflated and not doing thier work bringing technology into rual aeras HEIL COMCAST HEIL!!!!!!!!!!!
  damnit....gotta fix that arm....it happens every time someone mentions cable....

  17.4.2006 21:18 #13

• rihgt682

  Isn't disney giving free shows also? does anyone have the link?

  17.4.2006 21:22 #14

• tin23uk

  they will prolly charge a monthly subscription fee plus commercials every 5 mins.
  on average there is between 9 and 11 mins of ads in a 30 min show thats f'king crazy, i thought itv, channel 4 and channel 5 were annoying in england with 3 mins of ads every 15 mins but this 30% of every show being ads takes the cake,
  and before anyone defends american tv and says the more ads the network has the more money they make to produce quality shows i say bollox. i found far more good shows in england on 4 channels (we dont count channel 5 in this they suck) than i do on 130 channels here and for a hell of alot cheaper a year than i pay for my cable bill. oh and 2 of the 4 channels i mentioned are commercial free.
  
  i say stick your tv shows in your ass fox and abc, ill download them the next day on p2p after someone has gotten rid of the ads and i dont wanna hear thats illegal i pay my cable bill so it should be none of there concern how i watch shows (tv or p2p) if i stop paying my cable bill then i can understand i shouldnt download the shows.

  19.4.2006 05:55 #15

• KingPen

  The media moguls can't easily control what you record from TIVO. Streaming their own content gives them control and the ability to charge a fee, since they own it.

  7.8.2006 17:15 #16

• rihgt682

  Does anyone have the link to the rerun?

  13.8.2006 16:38 #17

• rihgt682

  This new is actully awhile ago. Does anyone have the link for free rerun like they said?
  

  
  

  8.10.2006 08:03 #18