BBC’s Australia boss urges clampdown on piracy ahead of new channel launch
The managing director of BBC Worldwide Australia Jon Penn has backed calls for changes to copyright laws to crack down on piracy in Australia, as the broadcaster readies the launch of its new Foxtel channel First.
At a glitzy showcase in Sydney last night Penn was joined by the head of pay-TV body ASTRA Andrew Maiden and Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein to announce some of the new shows the channel, which is set to launch on an as yet unspecified date in August, will carry.
These include content which has already aired on BBC TV in the UK including shows Peaky Blinders, The Musketeers, Quirke and The Politician’s Wife, with the new channel available to subscribers to the drama and lifestyle package, which costs $15 per month on top of a basic subscription.
Speaking to Mumbrella this morning Penn conceded piracy is a big challenge for the broadcaster, with much of its exclusive “first run” content for the channel already available on streaming sites.
He said: “The whole problem of piracy is a vexed one. The fact is most young Australians do steal content online. As a a content owner we are very firmly aware that piracy is hurting our business, as it does for many others.
Penn
“We support ASTRA’s position in piracy and any possible changes that can be made to stamp out piracy are welcome.”
Copyright reform and tightening up laws and requirements on internet service providers to clamp down on illegal streaming and sharing sites have been subject to much lobbying from content owners in recent years, although it is unclear as yet whether any changes to the law will be forthcoming under the Liberal government.
Penn said where possible most of the content on the new channel would be fast tracked from the UK in a bid to minimise the temptation for people to pirate it, with drama and comedy such as Alan Partridge’s recent specials in the mix. First run shows will be shown ad-free and will not be shown on free-to-air broadcasters for 12 months.
He also said the content would not be available on the BBC’s Global iPlayer video on demand service, which subscribers pay $8 per month to access in Australia and carries thousands of hours of archived BBC content.
However, Penn said the new channel would allow much of the BBC’s output which would otherwise not be picked up by Australian broadcasters to air here.
(Apologies for the autoplay.)
Alex Hayes
Penn is fighting a losing battle here. The BBC’s Global iPlayer should be the available vehicle here for this new content. But they’ve chosen instead to augment the PAYTV platform which is over priced with another premium service and abandoned the ABC in the process. ABC viewers skew old, so old in fact that the majority of their high audience shows are over 55 and beyond the industry demographics and are very passive viewers. Few of these will be enticed to subscribe to Foxtel. I’d love to see in one year from its launch whether subscriber numbers have increased.
What I would love to see is a combined Global iPlayer for all British free to air content including the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV. Now that would be formidable and far more attractive to the younger audience who are pirating.
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The globe is one market when it suits – segments when id don’t.
Get rid of the old colonial era book publishing restrictions which have carried forward to this digital age. Make everything available to everyone everywhere any time – at a price.
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A capitalist market is expert at selective pricing based on the particular market’s capacity to pay. For intellectual property this market has proved so elastic and many of the sellers so cynical that young people have circumvented it.
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These Monkeys or even any Government Monkeys in Australia will never get our ISPS to stop piracy. Even if they tried, most will then turn to the TOR network and use other freely available filters to get past any blockades. Remember we are Unomonous and wee never forget!
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This should never, repeat, NEVER have been allowed to happen. Australia needs cultural anti-siphoning laws for pay TV, similar to the anti-siphoning laws for sport.
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Australia, the land where people are chest-beatingly passionate about their content, but believe it’s their absolute right not to have to pay for it.
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I’d be more than happy to pay the UK license fee if it meant I could get access to their complete free to air line-up. Here in Australia we are expected to pay top dollar for mediocre, half-baked services delivered by corporate monopolies.
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The goverment lets into Australia copied furniture, clothing, etc…all from China, what are they doing about it…nothing!!!! so, who is right???
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