HBO Is Setting Records...

...Though, Not The Kind They Want

By David Clark

HBO has set back-to-back records with the latest Game of Thrones episodes. As one of the most popular shows on television it is no surprise to hear records are falling, unfortunately these particular records are quite concerning. Two weeks in a row HBO’s hit show managed to break piracy records. Over the course of 24 hours from the original air date episode five saw 3.22 million copies of the show pirated and episode six broke that record one week later with a reported 3.5 million acts of piracy.

The numbers are astounding. HBO has always taken a somewhat quiet stance on piracy but these numbers are likely hitting someone’s radar. It should be noted the numbers are tracked and reported by Excipio and it does not include streamed piracy. The 3.22 and 3.5 million acts of piracy listed only pertain to actual downloads of the episodes. The numbers would be considerably higher if streamed piracy were to be included.

As a member of the general public I find these numbers to be interesting. What is the reason HBO is setting records? AMC has held the highest rated show on television recently and yet it is HBO sitting atop the list. Could that mean it is a network issue? HBO Now is the latest attempt by the network to compete with Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, and Netflix. Originally to watch Game of Thrones a person would require subscriptions to both a cable company and to HBO, which could get expensive. HBO Now is the network’s work around for people who do not wish to own cable. People can pay a $15 monthly premium to watch the network without the cable subscription. Oddly, this does not seem to be working as intended - piracy has gone up since the addition of HBO Now.

Not to imply that HBO is the only network with piracy issues, the fact is every network has this problem. The question being focused on here is the reason behind why HBO is at the top of the list and what can be done about it? To start, HBO Now has a fairly low user review rating. Constant complaints regarding the service include such things as: appointment viewing, poor streaming quality, and a lack of bandwidth to stream without stuttering or crashing. Add to those issues a $15 price tag and watching the show for free through piracy suddenly starts to make a little sense.

To add some perspective to HBO’s problem it might help to put the situation into a little hypothetical context. For example, personally I pay to go see movies in theater that I want to watch and support. However, if theaters started charging $15 dollars per movie and it did not work half the time or stuttered and stalled constantly throughout the viewing experience, I might start looking for cheaper ways to see the movie. HBO should take heed of that and start asking why Netflix has been so successful. Despite not being perfect, Netflix offers a user friendly interface, a reliable streaming service, non-appointment viewing, and provides it for the price of a $7 venti double-cream two-pump latte.

In an ideal world HBO could offer whatever type of streaming service and price tag they want. After all, despite the inconvenience of cable and expensive subscriptions, Game of Thrones is privately owned intellectual property. Unfortunately for HBO, the modern era of technology makes piracy an easy-low risk endeavor that is often more user friendly than trying to view a show legally. SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, and PCIP are all acts that have tried to regulate digital private property, define copyright laws, and protect against digital piracy. All well intentioned with the purpose of protecting big business, but a fear that the laws could be used to exploit the every-day man and/or private digital administrator has caused much concern and delayed the passing of any hard laws.

What is the solution? Some are of the opinion that attempting to stop digital piracy is futile. Still others think that intellectual property, digital or otherwise, is important and should be protected from theft at all costs even if it means a more regulated internet experience. Personally I see music, television, and movies as products people put their blood, sweat, and tears into. Every time something is pirated somebody is not getting paid for a job they did. I do not work for free and I do not think people in the entertainment industry should have to work for free either.

That said, how does the entertainment industry reduce piracy and still make money? I do not have an answer for this question but I believe networks like HBO can go a long way by making their product easier to access than piracy. For the everyday individual finding a high quality digital product through piracy, in a timely manner, that does not risk viruses or other hiccups, is not always a fast and easy process. If the price is right and the product is intuitive and easily accessed, people might decide the convenience of watching the show legally, even for a small fee, is worth avoiding the headache of finding a good pirated copy.

I would be interested in hearing your opinion on piracy. Do you believe it is harmless? Do you think there are effective ways networks can reduce piracy? If so, what might those be?

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Sources: Variety, Forbes