According to a poll we conducted last week, Mashable readers are using a wide variety of ways to get access to top-shelf television programming, including Hulu, Netflix and even (gasp!) regular old television sets with cable, satellite and/or network channels.
But our readers’ favorite non-traditional way to get TV shows (by a nose) was illegal torrent downloading.
While we won’t call the FBI on you just yet, you naughty people, we will get into more detail about the results of this poll and their implications in the broader world of television, entertainment and online content distribution.
Ours was a multiple-selection poll, which means that readers could select any number of options while voting. For example, if you watch House on your TV set, The Office on Hulu and Mad Men via Netflix, you could select all three of those options in the poll.
The results of the poll show that 28.56% of the votes we counted were for traditional TV. That doesn’t mean those readers only watch their content on regular TV, however; but it’s also a somewhat good sign for old-media executives that even with digital options available, many people are still tuning in through traditional channels.
A Word on Torrents
However, the second-most popular choice was file-sharing through a torrent client such as BitTorrent or Vuze. There are a huge number of justifications — some more solid than others — for downloading copyrighted content through unapproved channels and without paying for it. For example, you could say that it’s the show producers’ fault for not making the content available themselves elsewhere online. You could summon the teachings of Richard Stallman and suggest that “piracy” is an outmoded and inappropriate term for sharing, something that we hold to be a good cultural value.
But regardless of shifting mores and personal opinions, peer-to-peer sharing of copyrighted content is still illegal in most cases. The police may not come knocking on your door, and you may not get sued to the tune of millions of dollars. However, what is more likely is that your ISP might start throttling your Internet access — at least they will as long as net neutrality is still a debatable issue.
At the end of the day, people with the access and knowledge will use technology to illegally access content until it becomes easier for them to use legal channels. For example, Hulu probably cuts down on a ton of illegal downloading; it’s free, it’s easy, it’s web-based and you can use it with a clean conscience. You just watch the occasional ad, and everybody wins. We’d love to see more content on Hulu and more ways to access television and film content via the web, either free or for a small subscription fee.
We’re definitely looking forward to seeing how new TV-delivery methods change the way we use torrent clients.
Non-Traditional Television
Hulu, with 21.04% of the vote, was the third-most popular way of getting television programming without using a typical television set, and other TV-oriented websites came in fourth with 12.46% of votes.
Netflix, which got 12.07%, was in fifth place. Other DVD rental options came in dead last, with less than a percent of votes (just 18 people chose this as one of their options). In fact, more of our readers said that they wouldn’t be watching TV at all than those who said they used a non-Netflix DVD rental service.
The Future of Television
With this postmodern plethora of options for content consumption, it’s no wonder Blockbuster is declaring bankruptcy. Legitimate, “over-the-top” delivery for premium television content is getting better all the time as our hardware and Internet connections improve and as studios and networks hammer out distribution deals with digital content startups and other web-focused companies.
In fact, we’re looking forward to seeing how well “superphones” and tablets handle this type of content and whether these mobile modes are adopted by the masses. Your Samsung Tab, HTC Evo or iPad — and handy software such as Bitbop — could be the new standard in television within a relatively short time period.
And then there’s the tech giants who are wading into the pool of television content. Google TV and Apple TV, as well as startups such as Veebeam and many others, are revolutionizing the very meaning of the television set. Without doubt, these types of devices that intertwine traditional television with Internet technologies will be a big part of television’s future.
Let us know what you think of the poll results and where you think TV is headed in the comments.
More About: bittorrent, cord cutting, downloading, file sharing, over the top, p2p, peer to peer, television, torrent
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