On the 26th of November 2009 millions of people around the world wept. Some say it was the end of an era. They said that day Mininova.org was dead.
Now I’m too cool to use Mininova but I was reliably informed by my housemate’s facebook status that it was now resting in peace. For those cool people like me I’ll briefly explain the situation. Mininova acted as a directory and search engine for torrents, those being a medium for peer-to-peer downloading. Gobbledegook to my attractive readers, but bear with me. On this fateful day Mininova displayed a message, “from now on, only Content Distribution torrents are allowed.” Due to a court ruling certain download links were no longer to be displayed on Mininova.org’s hallowed pages. Illegal downloading has been the bane of the music industry since the inception of Napster. Hollywood reminds us at every available opportunity that piracy funds terrorism. Both feel profits have been hit hard by illegal downloading. Television has been almost overlooked in the war against downloads, but decisions like that against Mininova show the vast amount of illegal television content available online.
I’m led to believe that there are people out there, people with terabyte hard-drives, who relied on Mininova for their music, film and televisual needs. Gone are the days when television is watched on a television. This new breed of TV viewer watches what they like when they like. Why buy the DVD box set of The Wire when you can watch it for free? Why wait a few weeks/months for the new series of House to be on in Britain when you can watch it NOW!!! To me experiencing TV via the internet is like eating a microwavable ready-meal, it’s quick and easy, but it just don’t taste right. A good television schedule is arranged for maximum engagement. Allowing fate to decide an evenings viewing will provide a mix of factual, dramatic and comedic programming. It also allows for the opportunity to discover the odd hidden gem. Last, but not least, lets not forget the adverts. Often seen as annoying distractions but we all have our favourites.
I’m not a technophobe Luddite, covertly destroying laptops with mugs of piping hot Lemsip in the name of traditional broadcast television. Services such as 4OD and BBC iPlayer are a great way to catch up on missed programs. It no longer matters how early they put on Little Howard’s Big Question, I can watch it on iPlayer. By providing these services Channel 4 and the BBC have shown they accept the way TV is experienced is changing. Importantly they have pre-empted the switch unlike the music industry who were left cold for years before the arrival of iTunes. 4OD perfectly encapsulates the needs of both the consumer and Channel 4 itself. Content is easily available to watch, anytime, while short adverts are included, vital to create revenue.
The war against illegal downloads rages on, as one Mininova.org dies another website is sure to take its place. If this continues, advertisers may no longer believe they are receiving enough exposure via our TV screens and reduce funds to broadcasters. So if you enjoy watching your favourite televisions shows online, try watching them on the TV from time to time. Or they may not exist as all.
