Turner CEO: "PVR Users Are Thieves" 971
A user writes: "It was bound to happen - 2600.com is reporting that Turner Broadcasting CEO Jamie Kellner is calling PVR users thieves. When asked why personal video recorders are bad for the industry, Keller says 'Because of the ad skips.... It's theft. Your contract with the network when you get the show is you're going to watch the spots. Otherwise you couldn't get the show on an ad-supported basis. Any time you skip a commercial or watch the button you're actually stealing the programming.' Since when have we made contracts with the broadcasters for watching their content? More of the 2600 article can be found here."
Contract with the networks (Score:3, Funny)
Broadcast Data (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Contract with the networks (Score:4, Funny)
I'm the biggest thief there is (Score:2, Funny)
I'd better start watching my back. The feds could pick me up at any moment.
I have been a thief for decades! (Score:5, Funny)
I am stealing all of society! I will crush the world economy! It is my evil masterplan!
Bwahahaha! Ha-ha!
Re:I'm the biggest thief there is (Score:2, Funny)
Maybe I should start charging them for wasting my time?
Stealing (Score:2, Funny)
Okay! I will record only the ads and watch them 200 times...hope that will compensate them for the loss...
WTF? (Score:3, Funny)
I don't remember agreeing to anything about watching commercials and actually wanting to. Nowhere did I put my john hancock on a piece of paper saying, "I wanna see Billy Mays pimp more Oxi Clean to me!"
Someone explain to me PVR's are any different from VCR's with "VCR Plus!" which automatically mark commercials and skip over them when you watch a recorded tape. Same thing, except it's not instantaneous like a PVR. Why is one stealing and one is not?
AOL TW if you're reading. Wanna save some of that 45B mark down? Fire her ass, you'll save yourselves a whole lotta grief down the road.
Don't forget! When you're stealing TV (that you paid for), you're watching communism.
A Clockwork Orange (Score:3, Funny)
So wait if that is theft... (Score:5, Funny)
RonB
Re:EULA's for TV! Coming soon! (Score:5, Funny)
"You will not mute out offensive phrases as that alters the impact of the message"
and right after
"Men must not immediately change the channel upon hearing the 'pretty flower music' that always signals tampon commercials"
resides the infamous
By pressing the 'Power' button on your remote (either on or off), you hereby agree to watch TV during each meal, for 1.5 hours before working a 8 hour day or 7.2 hours on a day off and a minumum of 3.2 hours before you are allowed to sleep. Failure to comply with this clause will find you in violation of the DMCA for using tihs product in a manner not expected by the manufacturer as well as modifying the results of our required viewer/commercial ratio."
No problem (Score:2, Funny)
hehehe (Score:2, Funny)
Thats totaly unnessesary. (Score:4, Funny)
A computer will detect when you fall asleep, and will air specially created 'sleepverts' that influence buying decisions why the consumer is asleep!
See, no draconian measures are required at all! Good behaviour will be rewarded with soma
Re:Thats totaly unnessesary. (Score:3, Funny)
Oh great, I go take a crap and get treated to a tampon commercial.
//rdj
Re: I have been a thief for decades! (Score:5, Funny)
> I am stealing all of society! I will crush the world economy! It is my evil masterplan!
I go further and add insult to injury, by getting up and making a peepee during commercials.
Take that! I pith on your profitability, Turner Broadcathting!
Tivo by law (Score:5, Funny)
So, basically I think the networks should make it mandatory that everyone have a Tivo and buy them for everyone. Of course, those of us that already have them would get a credit for a big hard drive.
Re:Is it also theft to just NOT WATCH the ads? (Score:4, Funny)
BB is watching you.
Re:strange things are afoot ;) (Score:2, Funny)
Am I the only one who thought of two totally awesome dudes playing air guitar when I read that?
Paying extra if your telly is broken? (Score:2, Funny)
Mice are Thieves Too (Score:2, Funny)
Re:disgusting (Score:3, Funny)
The people who are paying for the TV shows are those who buy goods from the advertisers, regardless of whether they watch the shows or not - the viewers are being subsidised by those who buy anyway.
So if you really want to get your TV for free, you have to watch *all* the commercials on *all* the channels, and avoid buying *anything* from the companies who advertise. Simply ignoring the commercials isn't good enough, because you might inadvertently buy something that was advertised and thus make a contribution to the TV channel's budget.
Great! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I'm the biggest thief there is (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What about boring bits... (Score:4, Funny)
Would your Kids be Accesories? (Score:2, Funny)
E
Turner CEO: Wear a diaper, dammit (Score:4, Funny)
My certain amount of tolerance of overreaching entertainment industry executives has been breached long ago.
Re:If all commercials... (Score:1, Funny)
Ring, ring
Osama: Hello?
Taliban #1: Jihaaaaaaad!
Osama: Jihaaaaaad!
Ring, ring
Taliban #2: Jihaaaaaaad!
Taliban #1: -aaaaaaa-
Osama: -aaaaa-
Taliban #2: -aaaaaaa-
Osama: -aaad!
Jay Leno is pretty lame, but you have to admit, that was funny. Better than all those "can you hear me now?" spoofs he does.
New Regulations (Score:2, Funny)
Re:EULA's for TV! Coming soon! (Score:2, Funny)
Parents are hereby restricted from informing children of alternate forms of entertainment including, but not limited to, books, interaction with other children, or use of the imagination.
Re:Somebody has to pay for it... (Score:4, Funny)
I think that there *is* competition in the BBC model. The competition occurs between the people who want to provide programming for the BBC. The BBC cannot afford to be complacent, because they're an easy target for politicians. If the BBC screws up, people contact their reps in government and complain, the reps make some national statement about the decline of the BBC, and top BBC management gets fired. Imagine trying to fire Ted Turner because TNT sucks.
Overall, I find I truly prefer BBC sitcoms over American sitcoms. I'll take Monty Python, Black Adder, Red Dwarf, Dr. Who, and a few others whose names I don't know (and Dame Judy rocks) over Archie Bunker, Family Ties, BH 90210, Friends, and Who's the Boss. I can live with the special effect in Dr. Who that aren't up to Hollywood standards. What I can't stand is the feeling that my brain is leaving me for someone more interesting, which happens when I see Friends.
To me, that is evidence which supports the efficacy of the BBC model, and the dysfunction of the TNT model.
-Paul Komarek
to prevent theft.... (Score:1, Funny)
into a special chair that immediately shackles them in, head, wrists, waist, and ankles, and keeps them in there until it ends. When the commercial begins, little robotic arms keep they eyelids open.
Or how about a quiz-style questionaire before
the next segment begins, that the user has to
answer, kind of like the old AD&D copy
protect. Something like
"In the second Toyota commerial that was
aired during the break, what was the third
word in the song that they played in the background"?
This should guarantee that the auduience watches
all of the commercials, right?