3 posts from August 2007

I have mentioned before on this blog how much I despise the Australian TV networks. TV in Australia is a third world enterprise, very few channels and really crappy programming. There are only a few free to air channels and strict local rules that mean there must be a certain percentage of locally produced content. This all comes together to mean that here in Oz we only get to see a small proportion of what is out there. This is also exacerbated by the TV stations delaying the premiere of a new series by 4-5 months (our Summer season is Feb). So while the USA is watching Heroes, Weeds and Deadwood, we are stuck with Gilligans Island reruns until February when we are treated to the Australian premiere of Starskey & Hutch. In between times we have a great selection of locally produced Cops & Doctors type shows, think low budget "Law & Order" with broad 'shrimp on the barby' accents and more beer and you pretty much have it.

The last few years the advent of higher net speeds and better sharing protocols (BitTorrent) have really changed the landscape. Suddenly any ole average Aussie consumer can log on to the net and very quickly have a local copy of the latest episode of Jericho or Prison Break. Earlier this year the local network that shows Survivor screwed with the schedule, they started several weeks after the USA, moved the time around and eventually settled it into a slot at about 2:30am on Saturday morning. One of the others did the same thing with 24 introducing a huge break into the middle of the series and juggling it across the schedule. All this does is drive consumers away from TV and on to the net, I'm not going to sit and watch whatever they replace my show with, I'm going to get my 24 elsewhere. The internet habit is so quick & easy, I get ALL the shows I want, when I want them, quickly, without ads. The episodes are new and fresh having only just been shown elsewhere in the world days (somethimes hours) before so I can participate in the 'buzz' that surrounds event type television. Surely, with this type of alternative service being available the networks should be doing everything in their power to try and keep me as a viewer but no, to date the Aussie networks have treated their consumers (we are not customers) like idiots who would just accept their bullshit!

Anyway, incoherent rant over...the point is that it looks like Aus TV is starting to come to their senses. The question is whether they are addressing this issue too late. Have the masses walked away from Free to Air TV in Aus already?

I used to get Keifer Sutherland a lot! This dropped off dramatically as Ive aged, grown a beard and fattened up. I related this story to a friend recently who responded by telling me that I will probably end up looking like Donald in 20 years....I guess thats punishment.