More movie and TV binge-streaming sites join UK banned list Thirteen more pirate sites have have been added to the list of domains that the largest UK ISPs must block*. This time the target sites are dedicated to binge-watching TV series and theatrical run films. Although nobody in the movie and TV business – which is fuelling a tech jobs boom in the UK – claims it's the only solution …
@ FuzzyWuzzys - unfortunately I see a growing number of average Joe's buying £50 Android boxes with Kodi pre-installed, following a couple of simple steps apparently widely detailed online, and streaming away to their hearts content; it's pretty much plug-n-pirate, no skills needed. Premium TV, latest movies, the lot. I'm talking about people who barely have the IT skills to turn on a PC, so it can't be very hard. If the anti-piracy people really want to stop illegal streaming, they need to do something about that, because I can see that really turning into a nightmare scenario.
It's not Kodi itself though, but 3rd party modules/plugs, pre-installed on the boxen, which makes them illegal in Ireland under "Theft of service laws". The Cable company never wants cable boxen sellers to be prosecuted under that law because of the maximum penalty (about €6000 and/or 6months), instead they sue the sellers for copyright violation, because no limit and then they not the state get the money. The just sue the box user for full cable TV sub back till they last had one or moved in, which actually isn't unreasonable compared to TV licence fines etc.
And...let's face it, Kodi is truly an awesome video player, and also a great way to watch content you own... except for legitimate streaming sources of course, because they all dropped support for it.
Tired of <streaming service here> falling back to 240p or stopping in the middle of a movie? That show you bookmarked last month disappeared from "my list" on netflix again? None of this happens when you torrent the movies. I don't, but believe me it's sorely tempting.
Amazon and Netflix dropping Kodi support is just another example of how truly determined they are to drive consumers to illegal sources. Didn't we go through this in the 90s with mp3s once already?
"Tired of <streaming service here> falling back to 240p or stopping in the middle of a movie? That show you bookmarked last month disappeared from "my list" on netflix again?"
And that's the nub of the ,matter right there. HDD space is cheap so why don't they keep all the old stuff? Oh, yeah, licensing. What;s wrong with having the stuff there and then paying a licence fee based on number of plays? Why can't Netflix or whoever have 10,000 films available? Because the licence holders want everything to be "exclusive" so that necessitates limited duration licences. A bit like Dave re-running a 10 year old TV series and labelling it "New" in the TV guide.
Worse. is the content delivery companies becoming the content makers. No, Amazon, Netflix, $streamer. I'm NOT going to subscribe to every fecking "service" so I see the stuff I want to see. I'd rather do without than pay, £10 here, £20 there for "all you can eat, monthly subs, minimum contract period", just to see a few shows or a series. If you refuse to sell me what I want to see than I'll do without, or wait for it to turn up on a free to air service, or maybe I'll just go get it from "somewhere else".
A year or two back I got 6 months free from Netflix as a gift subscription. We made careful note of when the sub would end so as to make sure we got to see all the stuff we most wanted to watch. Sometime after the 6 months were up, my wife said "did that Netflix thing finish yet". "Dunno, I'll check, Yeah, it's finished." , "oh, ok then" she said. We'd seen all we wanted and stopped watching because there was little to no new stuff we were interested in.
Well with PopcornTime now forked and in the hands of several dev teams, together with the Butter Project, torrenting is quite literally becoming 'plug & pirate' fro everyone. With a thumbnail driven interface, just like any 'legal' streaming service, and shitloads of choice, it's become accessible to anyone.
And let's face it, it's no more illegal than those 'GetFlix' and 'BritFlix' companies that sell you a box to do your pirating with.
Good many people I know watch movies and TV series on the "pirate" sites not because they can't/won't pay for the legitimate source, but because either:
a. The "pirate" site is much easier to use
-or-
b. The "pirate" site has the content they want, while the legitimate sources do not.
Give people what they want at a reasonable price, in a form they find comfortable and enjoyable, and this whole "piracy" will be a thing of the past.
A is a bit give or take depending on service.
B This 100% I hate that they try to control my viewing habits, I have little interest in being forced to watch what they think I should be watching for said month.
and then there are adverts on paid for services ... I don't think so ... If i'm already paying for it you can piss off with Ads.
I have a reasonably sized ultraviolet library. (50+ Movies and a few dozen TV episodes). It seemed like a great idea.
I used to watch it on a PS3, then Blinkbox pulled the plugs, even Sony who are a partner don't offer an app (in the UK). They suggested I purchased a chromecast, which wouldn't be a bad suggestion if they actually provided a digital audio output as well as video. But I'm not going to replace a THX ultra pre-amp to compensate for a £30 device's lack of features.
So obviously I have stopped purchasing any streaming content. My library has grown since due to free codes with Disks (etc) but I have scarcely watched anything from it since. (Somehow a 10" tablet doesn't have the impact of a home cinema.)
Lesson leant.
Also the monthly cost of Netflix is less that purchasing a typical recent movie.
Nobody's forcing you to watch anything!
I am no defender of the media corporations but really, point b is a bit silly. There is no automatic right to have "whatever you want" available.
I agree with your points on Ads. It's one reason I don't have Sky TV. Or would paid-for services be even more expensive without the commercials?
@David Nash,
Agreed nobody is forcing me to watch it, But when I am paying for a service and they only offer a very limited selection of their library available to me so they can boost viewing numbers for whichever studio they are in favour with that month, I see this is as a manipulation of viewing choice, and refuse to play that game.
I don't really watch TV any longer, but would watch more if there was a universal client that was device agnostic.
"There is no automatic right to have "whatever you want" available."
You're right, of course. But that's a demand that is not being fulfilled. An opportunity for big media to make money that they are ignoring. Seems a bit odd to many of us.
Indeed.
e.g. I cannot use ITV hub to watch anything I missed on ITV (UK free to air channel) as it refuses to work with my ad blocking software (& I'm not compromising machine security by turning off adblocking as ads are often malware vectors)
Upshot is I don't bother watching much ITV content as no point getting interested in a tV series and then if I miss an episode on TV being umabve to watch it online.
Not that it's any great loss as plenty of other content out there..
There is far more content available to watch than I would ever have time to consume so I'm spoilt for choice - only loss is to ITV viewing figures.
Not noticed that with C4 but the TV is connected to a couple of games consoles and a PVR so no PCTV source, just a Linux and two BSD boxes.
The PVR was disconnected from the network as its online was rubbish, and the two consoles are used for anything online TV based and watching Blu Rays. However no ITV client so like the above posts I never get into any of their stuff.
I have noticed that installing the Amazon client is trivial so later this month I will install.
I tried for ITV on the PC and gave up, used STV instead, wife watched that, after I deleted a few elements trying to stop it from being used.
I agree with the sentiment, but in the case of Channel 4 it's not entirely the same.
I believe that Channel 4 don't operate for profit per se, instead ploughing anything they make back into programming.
However, as they don't receive any license fee money as the BBC do, I guess they feel the need to add extra ads to their site.
Still don't like it, just how it is.
shITV do not care about viewers, they do not want them. They HATE us
They remove the console client. The Iplayer alike shows TV style adverts but block you because you have an internet adblocker installed, and tell you AFTER you have watched the advert.
They do not repeat anything but the real rubbish they think we want to watch, (reality crap, soaps and shitty quizes).
In the end my wife decided it was too much like hard work so ignored the series instead.
Oh and if UKTV are reading this.
Because DAVE is not on Freesat, our Freeview PVR failed due to rubbish firmware (manufacturing defect), and there is no DAVE client on any of our consoles, I am going to have to torrent the latest Red Dwarf series.
Put DAVE in the Freesat EPG and I will watch it broadcast, failing that contact me and send me a nice shiny Humax Freeview HD PVR.
Personally I just gave up on non BBC TV, they make it easy for me to watch, it is not a fight to view them.
So why do broadcasters not want us to watch their programmes?
Poor internet offerings (shITV)
No online console clients (shITV again)
Really bad programmes (many channels)
Missing on some platforms (DAVE)
Overblown logos (lots of channels now)
Paywalls (so we torrent it)
Anecdotally, in my experience people use the pirate sites or software that accesses pirate copies because it's free. And this includes instance when films are actually on at the local cinema and the issue of availability is not relevant.
Maybe they do not want to see the film at the cinema.
e.g.
1. Exorbitant cost (with extra charges added on top for online advance booking) yet have to sit through 30 minutes of adverts before the film starts (& generally ads for "things" usually only 5 minutes of ads about forthcoming other films you might actually be interested in)
2. Volume cranked up well past eleven.
3. Incessant chat, running commentary / questions on film, phone bleeps (despite on screen turn off phones messages), load rustling of food products etc. If you have really won the noise lottery (typically on a low age ratng film) squealing kids
4. Someone who easily in the running for tallest person in your country sits in front of you and your view of the film is impaired massively.
5. (related to 4 above) You do occasionally get a view of teh screen - only because you have to get out of your seat to let interminable numbers of people past to go to get food / drink, go to the toilets (hint, don't slurp a fizzy drink the size of a small country throughout the screening then you might not need the toilets so frequently)
6. Too many separate "theatres" crammed into a multiplex, so in each "theatre" most of the setas are too near the screen for a full view (i.e. screen bigger than field of view without moving your eyes)
The fact that a film is on at the cinema does serve to excite interest in the film, but as (typically) DVD / BluRay / streaming release / whatever other format is usually ages after cinema release then if someone does not want the cinema experience then pirate sites are the only option.
Staggered world wide releases make things even worse, many a time a UK viewer has watched the Oscars and many of the nominated films have not even had a UK cinema release at that time.
Disclaimer. I have a small independent cinema near me which is actually not really affected by issues 1 to 6, however hardly ever go there as ticket demand way outstrips supply for the good films & time slots.
Nearest "big chain" (multiplex) cinema 20 miles away and 1 to 6 are definitely inspired by visits there.
"Maybe they do not want to see the film at the cinema."
I don't. The "cinema experience" is so awful (as You properly said), that I gave up on it. Now I only watch what I remember to watch six months later - when It becomes available.
Their loss, no mine..
"
... on at the local cinema and the issue of availability is not relevant.
"
You are comparing apples to elephants.
There is nothing remotely convenient about going to a cinema to watch a film. 1) You must watch at a fixed time, 2) You need to be fully dressed, 3) You need to travel, 4) You cannot watch while laying down, 5) You (usually) cannot drink alcohol while watching, 6) You cannot pause the movie while you pee/get another beer/answer the phone.
That's quite apart from the ridiculous cost of the entire mission.
All those reasons and more is why, if I *do* go to the cinema (there still are a [small] number of films worth seeing in splendiferousness), it's Gold Class for me. You can eat (and drink alcohol) in your comfy recliner, they bring the stuff to you, even if it's only a bowl of popcorn, you can lie down in your fold flat recliner, you have elbow room, what's not to like?
Although regrettably, they still kinda insist you wear clothes.
Not sure about anyone else, but I find streaming fairly abysmal.
The quality of the streaming is poor - frequent pauses. The resolution is poor. Its just an unpleasant experience.
Then there are ads. I don't like them but they are not the end of the world really. But wait there's more. This is no ordinary ad break, this is a streaming site ad break; with three delicious repeats of the SAME advert in the SAME ad break.
So its PVR for FTA or off to the DVD rental shop - an experience I far prefer to scrolling through the pitiful selections online.
Or get out the a deck of cards or a board game and actually talk to the family. The Internet provides so much of what you want and so little of what you need.
My GF bought one of those Android TV boxes, with Kodi/ShowBox etc, from Amazon a few years back (and a newer replacement about 6 months back).
Now and then I'll have to remind her that the programme she's watching on the box (usually via the Show Box Android app), is an Amazon Prime show, and so available via the Amazon app on her smart TV, and as she has a Prime account, (as she's a regular Amazon purchaser) so has access to a lot of the shows she watches via the official route.
Her reasoning was that ShowBox does just about all her TV programmes in one place, so no need to switch between different apps for different shows.
Convenience is important for many users, something that is missing while we have multiple apps, one for each legit streaming service.
What would help would be a common industry standard for streaming services, and then a single common app that gives you access to any subscribed service via a common interface. i.e. search for a TV show, and it shows every streaming service that carries that show, and can be played directly, without having to then launch a specific app for that service.
Totally this.
At the weekend my son said to me that Finding Dory was on iTunes now and could we watch it tonight. The evening (and the pizza) arrived, I went to buy it only to discover it was a Pre-Order only and not actually out yet, despite being give prominence on the screen as the latest release.
Thirty seconds later and I'm streaming it from a site instead. Perfect quality, worked like a charm. I'll probably still buy it when it's out, but this filled a hole for the moment.
AC for MPA-reasons.
Or, Pay Service A has signed an exclusivity deal, and you are already subscribing to Pay Service B for some other exclusivity deal.
When studios stop their greed, perhaps consumers might be prepared to play fair too.
"Give people what they want at a reasonable price, in a form they find comfortable and enjoyable, and this whole "piracy" will be a thing of the past."
I'd agree with that statement. For example, Netflix's subscription charges are reasonable whereas as those for Sky satellite TV are not hence the ongoing and unstoppable piracy of Premiership football matches and it follows the simple equation More corporate greed = More piracy.
All these blocks do is prevent people accessing torrent websites. They don't actually block p2p software at all.
To bypass the block all one needs to do is do web search for "<name of torrent site> proxy", go to anyone of the many sites that will come up in the search and simple click on a link and hey presto, you're at the torrent site web page.
No need for VPN in the slightest!
Did the research showing correlation between takedowns and use of legal services take into account the fast many streaming services have in fact really done their best to start resembling something approximating a somewhat useful system with slightly decent content? I don't think the uptake in legal services has little to do with the blocking of illegal services and much more to do with legal services over the last few years finally getting an incling about why people weren't paying for their SHIT services.
Most streaming sites I've seen tend to have multiple published domains already, usually listed on their site somewhere. One domain fails, so just switch to the next in the list.
If a user hasn't made of note of these alternate domains in advance, most of the steaming sites have a FB page, where users just post a request for a new domain name there and the admins post the alternate ones.
>>geektv.is, hdmovie14.net, spacemov.com, hdmovieswatch.net, watchmovie.ms, streamallthis.is, 123movies.to, gowatchseries.biz, themovie4u.com, series-cravings.me, movietubenow.biz, genvideos.org and moviesub.net
Good of the register to print the site names. Now people know what to search for with the word "proxy" attached :)
..the site my brother-in-law decided to show me is on the banned list. He was telling us how he gets movies for his kids for free, and brought the site up on the smart TV in our playroom. I've never seen such a steaming pile of add infested low quality crap, and had to completely reset the machine to make sure it was free of any nasties afterwards. I'll gladly pay for Amazon Prime to avoid our kids being subjected to endless unsuitable adverts, such as online gambling sites and loan sharks.
movie and TV business – which is fuelling a tech jobs boom in the UK
"tech jobs boom" (any numbers?) are fueled by "movie and TV business" now? What kind of "tech jobs" are those? Popcorn dispenser install engineers?
I apologise, I have bought DVDs and I have paid both Amazon and Netflix so that they can fund the sub-human scum in the film and television licensing industries.
Perhaps, one day, we can stop being so damn weak, start reading more books and stop paying this excreta.
I also publicly apologise for buying Metro 2033 and, therefore, pay for thugs to threaten an innocent lady.
We should all be ashamed of ourselves for paying for this protection racket. I realise my typing this doesn;t help anything but let's at least think about getting rid of this abusive scum.
I have seen a number of you saying how rubbish the cinema is, and i would just like to counter with my own (recent) experience.
Yes, the price of a standard ticket is ridiculous. However my local big chain cinema has started (and i believe many other large chains offer similar) offering an 'all you can eat' pass, for less than the price of two full tickets a month. Since the beginning of March, I have seen 26 films for the price of about 12. I am seeing films that I would otherwise have not been interested in, and also finding that if I have nothing better to do, I will go to the cinema.
Yes, there are far too many adverts, especially considering how much you would pay for a standard ticket, but I am fortunate enough to live quite close to said multiplex, and I am able to time my journey so that I arrive after the adverts have started, but before the trailers. I was once caught out by this at a mid day showing where i arrived what i thought was going to be 15 minutes into the standard half an hour pre-film 'show' only to find the end of the last trail.
To combat the issues with people sitting in front of me, or noisy people, I have found that many films are shown at a variety of times, so i do not go when it is likely to be busy (Tuesday / Wednesday Friday nights are the worst, Monday / Thursday early evenings an Sunday mornings, are generally not too bad). Of those 26 films I have seen, twice I have been the only person in the screen, and there are often less than 15 other people (in screens that hold aprox 100 people)
I have wondered on occasion about the idea that, the films are expensive, so people don't go, so more adverts are put in to help pay for the films, and the prices go up, and fewer people go, or maybe it's just that many of the films that get a wide release these days are, in fact, utter bilge. Those 26 films, are not all works of art, some were very good, some were just a mostly entertaining way to spend a couple of hours. I could, if I so wished have easily doubled that number, but it would have involved watching some seriously questionable movies.
Like I said, this is my own (recent) experience, and understand that other people have had very different encounters with their local World of Cine. I am just trying to demonstrate that not all things are the same for all people. Sorry for the long post, and Hello to Jason Isaacs.
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