Ask anybody these days with even a remote interest in television and you are likely to find that they have pulled a marathon session of one of their favourite shows. Whether because they found out about it late or because they had to PVR or download the show because of other committments, people are stockpiling episodes to help eliminate the regular weekly timetable every series follows.
This isn't a piracy issue, regarding downloading. It'a a demand issue. With the emergence of the PVR, the DVD boxset, and yes the full season torrent downloads, the audience need not be constrained to the seasonal format that networks implement. And it may, ultimately, be the final nail in the coffin of broadcast television.
To survive, the best shows must be preserved and maintained, for in the world of online entertainment content reigns surpreme. And watching an entire season, back-to-back, is an option many people are opting out for at the moment.
I myself power through many shows, generally not watching them in their regular timeslot because that no longer has become a priority of mine. It's either on the PVR or streamed off the net later that night if it's watched that same day. I have friends who watch all the shows as they premier in September - and then midseason in January as well - so after a week or two they can effectively plan their PVR schedule for the remainder of the season. They watch when they can. I know others who simply refuse to watch until the show is at least 8-10 episodes in, if not once the season is done, so they can watch a number of episodes back-to-back.
Television has lost its rule over the airwaves, they need to pay more attention to their websites and acknowledge the importance of web traffic. There is a way they can still profit but unlike past mistakes made in both the music and movie industry, television must respond in a way that suits the on demand needs of today's viewer. If they don't, they will not only lose money, but lose many shows of worth that can't help boost their viewership because they are looking at an outdated system. And because in the online world, content is king.
Online has yet to be mastered by the powers that be at these major networks, and it's for that reason I believe that they avoid it as much as possible. Shows do go up, but more as a supplementary mode of attracting viewers. Online content should be catered to and tracked with the same tenacity as the broadcast product, in most cases (there are some who place attention online just not a lot).
This can be a market where networks fight back and reclaim some control over their content. Make the online realm easier and PVR's become a thing of the past, and downloading files that may or may not be of the highest quality becomes an afterthought. There is no stopping the marathon runs of full seasons of television, and to believe otherwise is foolish and arrogant thinking.
I had an old roommate who used to lock himself in his room for a full weekend every time a new DVD boxset of 24 came out. I saw him for washroom breaks and when he had to make something to eat. I've been dedicated to Fringe over the past couple months, watching them with my roommates, while catching up on Breaking Bad in the process. At parties people share shows that they think their friends should watch and people go find it on Netflix or somewhere online and there is never any hesitation in going around the ol' television box to watch.
This is in no way a new story, obviously Netflix's destruction of the movie rental market is proof positive that more viewers are changing their viewing demands. The lack of a response by the networks however remains baffling, something that becomes most apparent during the holiday season when people have the time and generally receive a couple new seasons as gifts to watch. Just that question of why and how networks can stand so still - moving but nowhere near fast enough - and watch their opportunity pass them by is astonishing.
During the writer's strike, Joss Whedon proved an online show can be profitable - after releasing his three part Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog free online, he was able to sell them on iTunes, and in DVD format. He also sold apparell as well. This is with basically no promotion outside the most diehard corners of the internet, it was good and it became a cult hit. Bad ratings don't always tell the story either when you see shows like Chuck, Arrested Development, and even Family Guy develop a devoted following that can save their show from extinction through write-in campaigns, but purchasing the DVD's, etc.
Tonight I will continue watching Fringe, presently halfway through the third season (the show is in season four as we speak). I may even follow that up with some Breaking Bad I have downloaded. I have no intention of stopping the marathon nature in which I watch most of my shows - and from what I can tell anyways, the major networks have little intention of capitalizing off of my ways.
