Automotive Journal

You could ask any consumer that is currently paying a cable or satellite TV bill, and they would say that sometimes it just isn’t worth the high fees necessary to watch television. In many cases, consumer are only paying for several channels that they enjoy anyways- not necessarily the hundred or so channels that contain no value to the everyday consumer. In this case, the Internet may have a viable solution.

Watching TV online isn’t the illegal activity that many make it out to be. In fact, networks such as YouTube are very strict on their policy against any type of copyright infringement. YouTube and other video websites keep strict policies on user rights, with the average user being able to submit home videos, public material, or even uncopyrighted work or work they have rights to publish. In that case, video sites today are actually quite legal and legit in manner.

For a cheaper means of obtaining TV shows, the Internet serves to give consumers a cheaper monthly bill through special agreements between Internet publishers and TV networks and copyright holders. Some paid services offer TV shows online, although it is indeed cheaper than the average cable or satellite bill. There is also no installation fee, which can easily go into the hundreds.

While paying for TV shows at lowered costs is appealing to the average consumer, getting them completely free is much more appealing. In this case, copyright holders will put content on the Internet for free in exchange for advertisements being placed throughout the episode and on the website that is showcasing the content. Popular TV shows such as “South Park” have tried this experiment out, and the creators have seen a great success from it.

There have also been special deals made to make content completely free- even without in-episode ads. After all, no one likes to be interrupted while watching their favorite TV shows by obnoxiously long ad segments. In such cases, the NBC and YouTube deal is a clear example of how this can go exceptionally well for both publishers and copyright holders. TV shows such as “Saturday Night Live” have been put on YouTube for consumers to watch for free, all in exchange for special payments or advertisement spots on YouTube’s part.

While there are indeed many legit places to watch TV shows online, it’s important to keep note of those that are less so. Some websites claim to be legit and charge users fees, when in fact the fees go straight to the pockets of the webmasters of the website, and the operation is still considered illegal. In such cases, consumers should ask for proof that a website has the authority to allow others to watch copyrighted content, and only then should funds be released to such websites.

Closing Comments

Online TV shows are becoming vastly popular among a culture that is starting to live in the Internet. It is now less expensive to watch TV shows online rather than pay a satellite bill each month that can leave consumers short on money. Whatever the case, consumers will have plenty of options with the Internet in getting their TV show fix.