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Over 100 PBS local stations start streaming on YouTube TV

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Re: Over 100 PBS local stations start streaming on YouTube TV

#132
post #4
post #3

I would expect PBS, of all TV stations, to be less constrained by distribution contracts and to be able to stream their content worldwide. Instead, they choose Youtube TV which is US-only.

why would you expect that?

It's a reasonable expectation for original content that they produce themselves. The problems start when you enter into byzantine licensing agreements with third party producers that insist on all sorts of complex agreements that are only valid within certain regions. It gets worse when those producers start delegating to even more subcontractors.

It's kind of backwards to be doing business this way. There are plenty of Youtube channels that have a wider reach than many TV shows with millions of subscribers and views per video. The trick is simply to ensure you have copyright for all content that you create plus a world wide distribution license for any third party content embedded in that (e.g. background music). This is basically how Netflix works these days and one of the reasons they are mopping up the media market that is still focused on creating and selling content for individual TV channels.

Re: Over 100 PBS local stations start streaming on YouTube TV

#134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. Paw Patrol is like crack for kids. It is mostly addictive filler designed to get them to buy a bunch of toys. The difference between Paw Patrol and Daniel Tiger is night and day.

Dunno. Paw Patrol demonstrates a lot of teamwork and proactive attitudes.

Also unpaid exploitation of children by an incompetent authority

Re: Over 100 PBS local stations start streaming on YouTube TV

#135
post #114
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps it's changed, but last time I looked the BBC had simple GeoIP blocking for anyone not inside the UK.

Not simple - they have an extensive blacklist of VPN servers too.

this provides an incentive for someone to provide vpn/tunneling service with IP pool large enough to prevent blacklisting to be effective

Re: Over 100 PBS local stations start streaming on YouTube TV

#136
post #16
post #3

I would expect PBS, of all TV stations, to be less constrained by distribution contracts and to be able to stream their content worldwide. Instead, they choose Youtube TV which is US-only.

It turns out that licensing doesn't work that way. Worldwide distribution costs more than domestic, and streaming rights cost more than broadcast-only. And PBS doesn't have as much leverage as for-profit broadcasters, so the negotiations for those rights took longer. Here's some prior context: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2018/04/15/w... https://www.techhive.com/article/3338083/why-live-pbs-stream.…

It's their own show though. Who would they have to pay for streaming rights?

Re: Over 100 PBS local stations start streaming on YouTube TV

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is "pre-elmoization" Sesame Street and why do you think it's better?

Because kids don't learn anything from Elmo, especially when he's running the show. He represents a child at their pinnacle of overtly bad behavior problems: a toddler. He's pure entertainment: loud, bright red, and obnoxious. Obviously kids love it.

I have exactly one lasting memory of Elmo from the 90s. He was yelling random things such as "belly button! belly button!" until some adults stopped him and walked him through the definition of the word "important".

So... yeah, you nailed it.

Re: Over 100 PBS local stations start streaming on YouTube TV

#138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The $5/month (or more) will get you more than what's currently free to stream, and you'll support your local station. (for disclosure, I work for a PBS station)

I pay $5 a month to my local PBS but it ticks me off that if I want to stream the live channel I have to pay YouTube TV. I'd gladly pay $10-$15 a month for just my local PBS channels in HD. My antenna isn't always reliable to pick them up, which puts me in the spot of paying my local PBS vs YouTube TV. Aside from that, I love PBS.

From my understanding of the distribution infrastructure, this would actually not be very hard to implement. That's not my area of focus though, so I could be wrong. If enough people were to ask for it, it would probably be considered.

Re: Over 100 PBS local stations start streaming on YouTube TV

#139
post #136
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It turns out that licensing doesn't work that way. Worldwide distribution costs more than domestic, and streaming rights cost more than broadcast-only. And PBS doesn't have as much leverage as for-profit broadcasters, so the negotiations for those rights took longer. Here's some prior context: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2018/04/15/w... https://www.techhive.com/article/3338083/why-live-pbs-stream.…

It's their own show though. Who would they have to pay for streaming rights?

They may have already signed an exclusive streaming contract with another provider.
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