Falcon Media House CEO Gert Rieder talks Game of Thrones, Napster and educating consumers
Author:
ContributorPublish date:
Nov 23, 2017Social count:
0
Falcon Media House CEO Gert Rieder talks Game of Thrones, Napster and educating consumers
0
SHARES
There was an air of expectation in the run up to the release of season seven of Game of Thrones. A successful global marketing campaign left fans around the world counting down the days, hours and minutes to the screening of the first episode.
Like all popular TV shows, Game of Thrones represented a massive opportunity not just for broadcasters but for online pirates too. The number of illegal streams of series seven is breathtaking. It's thought that in total, there have been over a billion illegal downloads, and counting.
Online piracy isn't a new threat to content producers and owners, of course. There are lessons to be learnt from similar challenges faced by the music industry ever since the advent of Napster. Experience tells us that relying on legislation or litigation while fighting the digital revolution isn't the answer. Research by Anatomy highlights that nearly three quarters (71 per cent) of millennials are opting to view video content online. And that behaviour is not going to be reversed. It's simply too late to put the genie back in the bottle! Hence, it's perhaps no surprise then that there isn't a silver bullet that will solve all the complex challenges of online video piracy. Instead, the industry must consider a wider range of changes to make legal streams more appealing to an ever-increasing number of viewers.
Fan sites, social media platforms and the global reach of popular TV shows have all contributed to viewers wanting to consume new content as soon as it's available. Putting an end to windowing, where content is made available at different times in different regions or episodes in a series being aired weekly rather than being available in one go, is just one of the steps that has already been implemented by some services. The Game of Thrones simulcast' (simultaneously broadcasting to 170 countries around the world) was successfully positioned as a badge of honour for super-fans with UK viewers staying up until the early hours to legally watch the first episode of season seven. Viewers were able to avoid spoilers while sharing an association with fellow GoT fans around the world, embracing social media rather than avoiding it.
But there are additional tactics that could be deployed. Sitting at the heart of the challenge is the user experience. Ease of use must be considered by service providers at every stage of the user journey. The convenience of being able to find and stream content immediately, the ability to easily save content to view later and the quality of the stream across multiple devices and environments are all crucial in making legal streams the preferred option.
Unlike the music industry, where subscription models enable consumers to access all music from a single source, video service providers differentiate themselves by offering exclusive content. Netflix's continued investment in its own original programming is just one example. This presents a different commercial challenge for video service providers; the need for reasonable pricing is more important than ever in a world where exclusive original content means that consumers require multiple subscriptions to access their favourite shows. There is a limit to what consumers will pay before seeking alternative ways to get their hands on the content they love.
In addition to offering slick and reliable user experiences and the commercial challenges of affording multiple subscriptions, there is of course also the need to educate consumers in a sensitive way about the dangers of piracy. It is after all illegal and can leave consumer equipment vulnerable to viruses.
In the end, reducing online piracy of video content is not simply or speedily solved. It will take time. But by combining smart content programming, excellent usability with intelligent education and innovative ways to charge, it can be done.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
Falcon Media House CEO Gert Rieder talks Game of Thrones, Napster and educating consumers
