The Indiepub Blog

ABC Wisely Shifts the Piracy Paradigm

October 11, 2006 10:05 AM Posted by mac

Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, clearly understands that piracy -- despite being illegal, immoral and generally bad -- is a business threat that should be approached like any other business threat: with cunning and creativity.

Sweeney says: "It [piracy] exists to serve a need in the marketplace specifically for consumers who want TV content on demand and it competes for consumers the same way we do, through high-quality, price and availability and we don't like the model. But we realize it's effective enough to make piracy a key competitor going forward. And we've created a strategy to address this threat with attractive, easy to use ways for viewers to get the content they want from us legally; in other words, keeping honest people honest." (Much more is available at Ars Technica.)

Ars Technica points toward ABC's Web-based availability of its top shows as supporting evidence to Sweeney's comment. The network sells individual shows and season passes to "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and other hits through iTunes, and it also streams episodes through ABC.com. And, in a shocking twist, these outside-the-box delivery mechanisms have not eroded the broadcast audience (stunning, but true).

I find Sweeney's comments refreshing. For once, an exec who deals with content realizes that cease and desist letters and frivolous lawsuits (I'm looking at you, RIAA) only win the battle, not the war. The current copyright model doesn't jive with the digital age, and the sooner content-oriented companies explore alternative options, the better positioned those companies will be for future delivery mechanisms and future revenue streams. So, bravo to Sweeney and ABC for getting it. To show my appreciation, I'll continue to write about "Lost" with a fervor bordering on psychotic.

(Editor's note: I'd write about "Lost" anyway -- don't tell anyone.) -- Mac Slocum

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