The Internet was supposed to be this extraordinary place, with no boundaries and scarce rules, where information was supposed to flow freely; and users were to be happy about their free access to this precious wealth of information. What happened?
On the one corner stand newspapers and other publications, everyday giving you more content at absolutely no cost. Even the last few advocates of paid subscription models are opening up, realizing that the revenues lie in selling advertising, hence the higher the traffic, the more money they can generate.
However, on the other side stand TV stations, wanting to give you access, but still struggling with all the limitations imposed by production companies. If you, as myself, happen to live outside the US, then chances are that your access to full episodes from the hottest US shows are blocked and only accessible from your local TV provider. What quite frequently happens is that stations that buy the programs opt-out of buying their digital rights, as the bill is a hefty one and the revenue is hard to generate. Most of the US shows have hefty sites built by the networks that broadcast them in the States, and their counterparts around the world are commonly limited to a page, a photo gallery, and a small video player.
Hulu, which promises to bring top TV shows to the masses, mimicking the newspapers model and opening up their content to users 'for free', is already fenced to Canadians who will likely be left out from the official launch (we are not even getting invites to the private beta).
iTunes, on the other hand, offers dozens of shows and even movies to US consumers; meanwhile Canadians only have access to music and a selection of vodcasts/podcasts. The why to this consumer discrimination is not clearly explicit, with some pointing fingers at the Canadian Government and its CRTC; others at the television networks; and many at the producers of these shows who are trying to double dip charging extravagant amounts of money for reaching the canucks.
The fact of the matter is that nobody is fighting for the Canadian consumer. TV networks in Canada are focused on their conventional ratings and advertising revenue; and while digital is definitely a source of income, it is by far secondary to that generated by broadcast. It makes one wonder if the geo-fencing is justified, or if Canada should open the gates to video content and let market forces decide the faith of the industry.
Target me ads, it doesn't matter, but don't leave me out from watching the most entertaining television based on my location. If IP filtering is going to create differences, then I say we are all being discriminated based on our IP Addresses...
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