You could ask any consumer that is currently paying a cable or satellite TV bill, and they would say that sometimes it just isn’t worth the high fees necessary to watch television. In many cases, consumer are only paying for several channels that they enjoy anyways- not necessarily the hundred or so channels that contain no value to the everyday consumer. In this case, the Internet may have a viable solution.
Watching TV online isn’t the illegal activity that many make it out to be. In fact, networks such as YouTube are very strict on their policy against any type of copyright infringement. YouTube and other video websites keep strict policies on user rights, with the average user being able to submit home videos, public material, or even uncopyrighted work or work they have rights to publish. In that case, video sites today are actually quite legal and legit in manner.
For a cheaper means of obtaining TV shows, the Internet serves to give consumers a cheaper monthly bill through special agreements between Internet publishers and TV networks and copyright holders. Some paid services offer TV shows online, although it is indeed cheaper than the average cable or satellite bill. There is also no installation fee, which can easily go into the hundreds.
It is great to get a big discount each month in TV bills, but getting content for free is even better. Some copyright holders have taken their content and put it on the Internet for free, only they have laced the episodes with ads and other promotional offers so as to still make a profit. This gives consumers a free way to watch television, yet also gives copyright holders a way to continually profit off of their properties or hard works of production and animation.
There have also been special deals made to make content completely free- even without in-episode ads. After all, no one likes to be interrupted while watching their favorite TV shows by obnoxiously long ad segments. In such cases, the NBC and YouTube deal is a clear example of how this can go exceptionally well for both publishers and copyright holders. TV shows such as “Saturday Night Live” have been put on YouTube for consumers to watch for free, all in exchange for special payments or advertisement spots on YouTube’s part.
Out of all the possibilities of getting free or discount TV shows from the Internet, one option that should not be explored is the illegal route. In this route, websites will commonly say they are legit and charge consumers money in exchange for access to TV show, when in reality they don’t have the right to do so. This not only puts consumers at legal risk, but it benefits scammers instead of the true copyright holders. In this case, it’s best to ask for proof of publishing rights before buying such a service.
Closing Comments
Online TV shows are becoming vastly popular among a culture that is starting to live in the Internet. It is now less expensive to watch TV shows online rather than pay a satellite bill each month that can leave consumers short on money. Whatever the case, consumers will have plenty of options with the Internet in getting their TV show fix.
