A Game of Thrones - TV Show Discussion Thread

[Imran Siddiqui]

I believe Game of Thrones is $30 on DVD on Amazon.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The fear of them not making any more programming is a distant one. Perhaps they can fix their marketing model before then.

HBO has a symbotic relationship with the cable companies (there was a very good article on this recently, but I have forgotten where it was). And while HBO GO may become subscription model (though I do wonder how many will pay for a subscription to just one network's shows - perhaps they will have grab streaming rights to movies as well before they can do that, which may jack up the price) in the future, right now it isn't feasible for them.

I'm not saying they won't make any more programming, but the quality and cost of their programming may go down as it has for a lot of broadcast TV.

[Wezil]

I want to pick the set up today if I can bother making the trip. I saw it for $40 (not blu-ray).

How much does it sell for in the US?

[Wezil]

The fear of them not making any more programming is a distant one. Perhaps they can fix their marketing model before then.

If they want to follow the RIAA example and wage war on their own consumers then I guess they are free to make that mistake.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Due to the current situation sustaining itself. It is one of the reason HBO sometimes goes all RIAA on people.

[Wezil]

I don't think the sky is falling for HBO. I checked their numbers last night and they seem pretty damn healthy.

[Imran Siddiqui]

This. If HBO can't figure out how to monetize their products, that's their problem.

And ours if we want such high quality, massive expensive to produce television shows. There is a reason broadcast TV has gone so far into Reality TV - its insanely cheap to produce and people watch it. Why spend lots of money for expensive serialized dramas that have big risks as to whether they'll find an audience (I realize it seems obvious now in hindsight, but HBO was concerned that not that many people were going to watch a "fantasy" series, and I'm sure they are concerned again for the upcoming season as the fantasy aspects get ratcheted up 3 notches). I understand the whole "I should get what I want, when I want, for free" drive, but that gets you no where with nothing.

[Dinner]

"Hunk on it"? Seriously?

Besides, I've been boycotting Canadian TV shows since they cancelled Stargate SG-1.

[bluray movies]

I love watching TV, is here any one who love The Big Bang Theory? I am hunk on it now.

[Dinner]

I still wonder if Syrio Forel might still be alive and maybe Arya will run into him in Braavos. I mean it's implied that he was killed but they never actually say and meeting her old master could snap Arya out of her current training and make her go back to Westeros.

[DaShi]

Not just HBO, but a host of other cable companies. The problem is that I don't want to spend $10/month to watch GoT on HBO, another $10 to watch Homeland on Showtime, another $10 to watch Breaking Bad on AMC, etc. And only to be able to watch them at certain times of the year. Free the television market!

[Felch]

It's a marketing model at odds with technology.

This. If HBO can't figure out how to monetize their products, that's their problem. If they spun off HBO Go into a Netflix style subscription service they'd probably do just fine. I know plenty of people who'd be cool with paying ten bucks a month to watch the best shows on television, but don't want to shell out a $100/month for a thousand channels they'll never watch. It's not 1980 anymore, and HBO needs to come to grips with that.

[Wezil]

HBO gets no money from cable fees. The vast majority of their money comes from subscriber fees. They make some on DVD and Blu-ray sales but not nearly enough to fund their shows since they don't get cable fees.

It's marketed differently here.

HBO (and other "premium" channels) are sold as add-ons to a cable package. i.e. You don't subscribe to them individually. The money the Cdn companies pay to HBO is probably lump sum rather than per individual subscriber.

That said, to get HBO I need to subscribe to a cable package of 100 plus channels costing over $100 a month. I watch about 2-3 hours of "television" per week. Just a wee bit of overkill, no?

I'm sorry HBO needs subscriber fees but the best they will get out of me is the DVD purchase and because they won't release the DVD for a year after airing I will continue to enjoy my advance screenings.

[Wezil]

It's a marketing model at odds with technology.

[Imran Siddiqui]

This is why it's retarded (via Asher on Google+)

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones

That's "nice". Some people do enjoy turning to piracy, but I wonder if they'll be pleased if enough people do it so HBO doesn't have the funds to make shows like this in the future? GoT is VERY expensive from all reports. HBO gets no money from cable fees. The vast majority of their money comes from subscriber fees. They make some on DVD and Blu-ray sales but not nearly enough to fund their shows since they don't get cable fees. In order to afford high quality productions they need to get as many subscriber fees as possible. That means delaying the DVDs.

HBO (and Showtime) are in a different league than other cable programing (that and their shows cost far more than other cable programming). But, if you'd like to accelerate the day when HBO just can't afford to make shows like this anymore, go ahead...