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Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 04:32 AM Apr 2013

HBO admits piracy is a ‘compliment’ that doesn’t hurt sales

While some companies are looking to end piracy across the entertainment industry, one major player doesn’t think it’s quite the crisis it’s often made out to be. HBO’s hit show Games of Thrones is the most-pirated TV show on the Internet with more than 4 million illegal downloads per episode, however the company’s programming president Michael Lombardo believes piracy is a “compliment” to the show and has actually helped sales. In February, Game of Thrones season two was released to record-setting DVD sales, becoming the company’s biggest first-day home video release with sales of 241,000 units, an increase of 44% over season one, and sales of individual episodes reached 355,000, up 112% from season one.

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but it is a compliment of sorts,” Lombardo said to Entertainment Weekly. “The demand is there. And it certainly didn’t negatively impact the DVD sales. [Piracy is] something that comes along with having a wildly successful show on a subscription network.”

Despite being the most pirated show on television, Games of Thrones is also the network’s top money-maker.

“If you look at aggregate of international and DVD sales — which are the two revenue streams we look at since we’re not selling it domestically on another platform — yes, absolutely, in terms of shows we have on now,” Lombardo said.

http://news.yahoo.com/hbo-admits-piracy-compliment-doesn-t-hurt-sales-035946132.html

39 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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HBO admits piracy is a ‘compliment’ that doesn’t hurt sales (Original Post) Sherman A1 Apr 2013 OP
cool, how do I pirate Games of Thrones? BainsBane Apr 2013 #1
Google "game of thrones" and "download," maybe? harmonicon Apr 2013 #2
Those file sharing websites transmit computer viruses Kolesar Apr 2013 #5
not that I know how to do this.... cbdo2007 Apr 2013 #7
I'll bookmark this for future use Kolesar Apr 2013 #8
or just go to eztv dot com dixiegrrrrl Apr 2013 #16
Any ideas how to shop lift? n-t Logical Apr 2013 #28
So, you're equating downloading tv shows with shoplifting....we get it. cbdo2007 Apr 2013 #34
Post removed Post removed Apr 2013 #35
the "trusted" sites are pretty safe. dixiegrrrrl Apr 2013 #13
Self delete tridim Apr 2013 #6
downloading is time-consuming.. Phillip McCleod Apr 2013 #20
Thanks! BainsBane Apr 2013 #21
;) Phillip McCleod Apr 2013 #22
if HBO doesn't care BainsBane Apr 2013 #24
right?! Phillip McCleod Apr 2013 #25
Cool davidpdx Apr 2013 #3
Funny how the one time I've been scolded for it by my Internet provider... Comrade_McKenzie Apr 2013 #4
yeh, i got dinged downloading a copy of deadwood.. frylock Apr 2013 #10
One Eureka episode caused Comcast to write me a letter displacedtexan Apr 2013 #14
I have WD Live Plus on my bedroom set and a Dell Zino 410 in the TV room.. frylock Apr 2013 #15
Ooooh, I would be jealous if I knew what you were describing displacedtexan Apr 2013 #19
LOL, bet you would brag about shoplifting also. Or stiffing a restaurant. How GOP of you! n-t Logical Apr 2013 #26
gee, no shit? frylock Apr 2013 #9
Salladhor Saan approves Yavin4 Apr 2013 #11
Some authors are saying the same thing mainer Apr 2013 #12
I would gladly pay a small rental fee to watch the shows I want when they are broadcast. Starry Messenger Apr 2013 #17
That's because Hayabusa Apr 2013 #18
Great, all we need for some clueless DUers to try to justify stealing music and movies. n-t Logical Apr 2013 #23
Exactly - Piracy cost me a good job FreeState Apr 2013 #30
Wow, sorry! Discussing it on the DU should be an automatic ban. People love free crap. n-t Logical Apr 2013 #31
I hear HBO is hiring SecularMotion Apr 2013 #38
No one said anything about stealing. displacedtexan Apr 2013 #36
It never was or is ever about piracy. It's about maximizing profits. Initech Apr 2013 #27
headline--ex-HBO head Lombardo, 2014 frets about careless remark he made in 2013 graham4anything Apr 2013 #29
Programming president, Michael Lombardo gvstn Apr 2013 #32
Tell me, can I walk into your house and watch your TV? brooklynite Apr 2013 #33
hbo only speaks for hbo. pirating is stealing, plain & simple. spanone Apr 2013 #37
I think of it more like civil disobedience.... cbdo2007 Apr 2013 #39

harmonicon

(12,008 posts)
2. Google "game of thrones" and "download," maybe?
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 05:21 AM
Apr 2013

... or, if you prefer streaming, maybe google "game of thrones" and "streaming."

Oh, that first website you're going to need is http://www.google.com It's great at answering these sort of questions.

cbdo2007

(9,213 posts)
7. not that I know how to do this....
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 01:09 PM
Apr 2013

but download a bittorrent client like uTorrent and then go to a site like thepiratebay.com and type in "game of thrones eztv" and then download it. eztv shows are safe and not viruses, at least that's what my friend told me.

Kolesar

(31,182 posts)
8. I'll bookmark this for future use
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 01:55 PM
Apr 2013

If I remember I have the bookmark.
I feel like playing in the dirt now.

cbdo2007

(9,213 posts)
34. So, you're equating downloading tv shows with shoplifting....we get it.
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 09:05 PM
Apr 2013

Thanks for your input! I'm sure you're a 100% law abiding citizen.....or at least the things you do, I'm sure you find your own ways to justify to yourself why they're right in your situation. Good luck with that!

Response to cbdo2007 (Reply #34)

 

Phillip McCleod

(1,837 posts)
20. downloading is time-consuming..
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 05:42 PM
Apr 2013

..infections abound and those files are BIG. plus while both are illegal, only downloading leaves a copy of the movie on your drive.

steaming is better but then you have ads and popup ads and redirects. so here's what ya do..

install 'adblock plus' add-on (for firefox OR chrome.. no internet explorer) to first put the kibosh on ads or you'll just get frustrated when you click on the following link

http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/internet/game_of_thrones/

do those two things (adblock and that european website) and all your terrible illegal prayers will be answered.

 

Phillip McCleod

(1,837 posts)
25. right?!
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 06:06 PM
Apr 2013

i flatter them all the time. i flattered them sunday night within minutes of s3e1 airing.

i'm feeling fairly complimentary toward AMC these days as well.

frylock

(34,825 posts)
10. yeh, i got dinged downloading a copy of deadwood..
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 04:13 PM
Apr 2013

missed the episode the previous evening and I don't do DVR.

displacedtexan

(15,694 posts)
14. One Eureka episode caused Comcast to write me a letter
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 04:35 PM
Apr 2013

I had no idea what to do with a Pirate Bay torrent after clicking Download, but Comcast assumed I was some kind of evil download thief. I didn't know it was illegal because in 2002 Michael Moore had sent me (and several thousand other people) a link to download one of his films. I thought it was a link to watch the movie, but that didn't work. Anyway, Comcast threatened me because of one episode of a show I had already paid them to watch, and I didn't even have the first idea what to do with a torrent file.

Which brings us to 2013... If I knew anything at all about downloading today, I would get an invitation to join a private tracker in... let's say, England, and I would use UTorrent and some kind of TV player like Roku or WD Live Plus to play .avi files on my big screen.

Of course, I don't know anything about this stuff.

frylock

(34,825 posts)
15. I have WD Live Plus on my bedroom set and a Dell Zino 410 in the TV room..
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 04:40 PM
Apr 2013

hooked up to a 3TB external drive. I don't know what to do with them either.

displacedtexan

(15,694 posts)
19. Ooooh, I would be jealous if I knew what you were describing
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 05:27 PM
Apr 2013

I have a 1.5 T external drive and two 100 Gig drives for the stuff I know nothing about. And Oscar screener season would be one of my favorite times of the year. How about you?

mainer

(12,013 posts)
12. Some authors are saying the same thing
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 04:23 PM
Apr 2013

That piracy helps spread their name, which is more valuable than lost royalties because it generates future sales.

Starry Messenger

(32,342 posts)
17. I would gladly pay a small rental fee to watch the shows I want when they are broadcast.
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 04:47 PM
Apr 2013

I just can't afford a large bill for tons of things I will never watch. I usually end up buying the dvds too. But it is more fun to watch the shows when everyone is watching them and you can talk to friends about them.

Hayabusa

(2,135 posts)
18. That's because
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 04:59 PM
Apr 2013

Most people can't really afford HBO just for the one show and want to see it as it airs before making a decision to buy the DVD set.

FreeState

(10,552 posts)
30. Exactly - Piracy cost me a good job
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 06:36 PM
Apr 2013

We went from millions in sales into debt in a matter of two years, all because people started to pirate our content rather than buy it. Piracy kills jobs.

displacedtexan

(15,694 posts)
36. No one said anything about stealing.
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 09:36 PM
Apr 2013

As I understand it, it costs about the same to download content as it does to buy it in a store.

But I suppose you know more than any of the rest of us.

gvstn

(2,805 posts)
32. Programming president, Michael Lombardo
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 07:31 PM
Apr 2013

May believe piracy is a compliment but I don't think HBO corporate feels the same way.

When I used to frequent torrent sites, I would say that 80% of the "cease and desist" letters that people received were for violating HBO's copyright. You can't have that kind of reputation unless you are actively monitoring who is downloading/uploading your shows. They vigorously protected The Sopranos episodes and I suspect they still monitor what is going on regarding the downloading of their shows whether the head of programming cares or not.

Anything HBO, I would be looking for a direct download rather than torrent. Or wait six months and get it at the library.

brooklynite

(93,834 posts)
33. Tell me, can I walk into your house and watch your TV?
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 07:39 PM
Apr 2013

It doesn't cost you anything more, and you'll appreciate the fact that I like your TV choice.

cbdo2007

(9,213 posts)
39. I think of it more like civil disobedience....
Wed Apr 3, 2013, 10:42 AM
Apr 2013

They have the technology and the ability to make shows available in a fair and profitable manner to everyone and they refuse to do it because the cable companies have a monopoly and you have to subscribe to some type of cable service (still in 2013) to be able to get the premium channels, even if that's all you watch.

In the next 5-10 years the future of TV and Movies is the same as what's happened in the music industry. Imagine Netflix streaming with 100,000 more options all available at the push of a button for $25/month. All new shows from all networks, and full catalogs of just about any past show you can think of. Any movie you can think of, all available on demand, anytime.

Hell, even on network shows, which are available for free on the network website the day after the show airs, the technology is there to be able to watch them with no problem......but they just can't get it to work properly and whenever I try it on NBC.com or CBS.com or wherever it locks up half the time and doesn't work.

If you think it's a fair playing field in music, movies, and tv shows with the consumer vs the corporation, it isn't nearly as black and white as "downloading is stealing". Look at digital movies....you buy a movie on DVD and there are free programs available that will rip it to your computer so you can watch it on your portable device. You are doing what you want to do with something that you own. That wasn't good enough for the movie studios....so they copy protect the DVD and then SELL you the digital copy along with the DVD for an extra $5. Nobody is here accusing them of stealing.

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