CBC Wows by Offering TV Show Through BitTorrent

My, how the battle between music/video content producers and online download sites has taken a drastic turn. The CBC just announced that it will be offering TV show Canada's Next Great Prime Minister for free download via BitTorrent technology, which (to my knowledge) was once known as a fruitful method for downloading content illegally. There will be no DRM restrictions on the digital content, which means that downloaders can save the file to their PC, burn it to a CD, and even transfer it to a portable device for viewing on the go.

This is a far cry from a few years back when content producers were doing everything in their power to prevent the distribution of their programming and music online. This included, in many cases, lawsuits against Websites and technologies just like BitTorrent, or even YouTube. We then saw many producers take a lousy step forward with DRM-laden, pay-per-use content that virtually prevented downloaders from being able to fully enjoy what they just purchased. This move represents not so much defeat as it does the eventual understanding of the current state of the industry.

According to the CBC Website, it's an experimental move, prompted by the knowledge that the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. is doing something similar. "Do you think this is a good/bad idea?" CBC asks its Website visitors. "Would you like to see more shows distributed this way?" (Sidenote: if you wanted a prime example of the interactive element of media that I was discussing in the previous post, this is a great one!)

If all goes well, I wouldn't be surprised to see more popular CBC programming distributed this way. Congratulations to CBC on making this move. Hopefully it will prompt others to follow suit, although it looks like the majority of content producers are finally "getting it".

CBC Makes Changes to Combine TV, Online, & Radio

The CBC is reportedly set to make some internal changes that would result in one, unified division that covers television, online, and radio. According to the National Post, all three divisions will now be in close communication with one another, and work together on assignments rather than different divisions covering different stories or news items.

This decision just goes to show how new methods of content distribution are affecting business. When a company is distributing content through several means, does it make sense to separate the divisions, or throw them all under one umbrella? If a cool item appears on TV, should the web guy snag that content and post it online? If the web guy gets a great interview with a celeb, should the radio guy air the same audio? Or should TV content remain on TV, web content on the web, and radio content on the airwaves? The lines are constantly being blurred, and many are in disarray trying to figure out the proper strategy.

In CBC's case, the company feels that putting one person in charge of all three divisions makes sense. Richard Stursberg, who previously head up the TV division, will now be responsible for all English-language radio and online properties as well.

On the one hand, this move could help to create a more synergistic voice for the company across all platforms. On the other, it could lead to duplication of content. If so, is that such a bad thing? After all, does the same person who gets his news on the radio also get it online and through cable or satellite TV? Or are there distinct groups of people, each with a preference to how they consume content?

Personally, I could be defined as an "online gal": 90% of my news and information comes from the Web. But when it comes to entertainment, TV is king in my world. As for radio, I'm a faithful satellite radio listener, so news and entertainment programming via radio isn't for me: I just want tunes. My point is that many people are probably like me, and pick and choose what type of content they want from what type of medium. This means that if CBC runs the same sort of content through each medium, there's a good chance that many people won't even notice a difference in product.

You can't please everyone, all the time, as they say. And because there are so many new ways to distribute content, it's a crap-shoot, at this point, for anyone involved.

CBC Tests Power of Social Networking

CBC has really taken the reigns when it comes to technological innovation, partnering with mobile phone companies and Websites, alike to offer its content through various means of distribution. But the broadcaster is receiving some flak as of late for its attempt to use a popular social networking Website to “poll” Canadians on their wishes for the country. The project, in celebration of Canada Day, was aptly named the Great Canadian Wish List, and could be found on widely popular site Facebook.com. Was this an innovative approach to reaching an audience; or rife with issues?

Many argue the obvious: how can you confirm that legitimate people are submitting responses, and not fake accounts set-up by lobbyists to promote their own cause? What’s more, how can you confirm that the people responding are even Canadian? Not to mention: how many people are actually taking the poll seriously? One of the most “recently created” wish lists was to “bring back the McDeal”. Need I say more?

On a more serious level, the top “wish” on the list is to abolish abortion in Canada (9,753 respondents); followed by (ironically) for Canada to remain pro-choice (8,302). Rounding out the top five are a spiritual revival in our nation (4,608); to restore the traditional definition of marriage (4,590); and to lower or altogether eliminate tuition fees (3,507).

CBC says that the exercise was not meant to be an actual poll, but rather an experiment to gauge how social networking Websites could be used to reach an audience, and to help build support for a cause that one believes in.

Some journalists have called the experiment “embarrassing” for the CBC; while others have commended the broadcaster on its innovative tactics. I agree with the latter: whether the experiment worked or not is irrelevant. After all, that's why it’s called an experiment. The Great Canadian Wish List represented a fresh, creative approach to expression, and deserves some applause in my opinion.

The final CBC report on the Great Canadian Wish List, for those who are interested, can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhZJgZfsGW8