gosh, kevin spacey is awesome. i really need to check out house of cards. but until then, this speech is pretty good. he definitely has the right idea about how tv should be done in the coming years. its about the networks and the producers thinking about what their audience wants. because american shows are reaching an international market, just not in the way that they would like. every day people pirate shows simply because it is the easiest and fastest way for them to access it before the internet becomes riddled with spoilers about the certain episode cliffhanger that is still 1 month away from being shown here in aux (if you’re lucky, i think supernatural is about 2 seasons behind down here).

i like the idea of a service where you pay a certain amount per month and you get instant access to every show you want when it airs live in the us. i’m not so sold on the netflix method of releasing a whole season at once. yes, i like to binge on my shows, i am always up for a good marathon, but only when i’ve already seen it. a major part of the draw of television is that cliffhanger. it’s what separates it (and IMO makes it far superior to movies). that drive that makes us want to come back next week, keeps us on the edge of our seat. think about it, would LOST have been so intriguing if every cliffhanging episode was immediately answered for us. that suspense is part of the thrill of television.

but, in all seriousness, tv needs to change. the ratings system is outdated and the major audiences jsut aren’t there any more thanks to DVR and the internet. if the big channels over in the states don’t come up with something soon, we may begin to see a decline in the quality of television as they begin to lose their market to the online pirates. anyone else ever wondered why theres now so much extra product placement inside the tv shows rather than just in the ad breaks? like when an entire episode of survivor each season is dedicated purely to showing off the sprint phone. because when people download, they don’t have ads, so now companies have to put their ads inside the tv shows themselves!!!!

in conclusion, we need better accessibility to the us shows when they air or the world of television will become lost to the internet