Doctor Who Delayed World-Wide

shayward
writes, Outpost Gallifrey\’s This
Week in Doctor Who for April 12, 2006
shows major
airing delays world-wide compared with the UK airing
schedule. SciFi in
America is a year behind and the CBC in Canada will
likely end up 6 months behind. Given that many “Whovians”
are tech-savvy it makes one wonder if these delays
will unintentionally foster piracy, thus lower the
ratings when the episodes finally do air.
Note
that the link provided is to the front page, which is
now on the April 19 column. I couldn’t find a link to
the archives to check the April 12 column.

13 replies on “Doctor Who Delayed World-Wide”

  1. Ratings will be fine
    I can speak from experience on this one. Ratings will be fine. I watched all of the first "new" season "illegally", but I’m currently taping the first season on my DVR as it plays on SciFi and I’m telling others that they should watch too.

    So my watching it ahead of time could actually _help_ ratings.

    And yes, I’m not waiting for season "two" to come to SciFi before watching either. But I wouldn’t be bother me at all if new episodes of Dr. Who aried at the same time everywhere.

    • Re: Ratings will be fine

      So my watching it ahead of time could actually _help_ ratings.

      I Have To Agree. I’ve Heard The Rumours That the Leak Of Rose, Ahead Of Time Was Completely Intentional, To Drum Up Interest. My Guess Is the BBC Is Fully Aware That People Are Downloading It, AS Evidenced By Their Willingess To Make It Available Online. Besides, Even With A Ten Day Delay, Those Who’d have Downlaoded It Would Still Download It.

      • Re: Ratings will be fine

        So my watching it ahead of time could actually _help_ ratings.

        I Have To Agree. I’ve Heard The Rumours That the Leak Of Rose, Ahead Of Time Was Completely Intentional, To Drum Up Interest. My Guess Is the BBC Is Fully Aware That People Are Downloading It, AS Evidenced By Their Willingess To Make It Available Online. Besides, Even With A Ten Day Delay, Those Who’d have Downlaoded It Would Still Download It.

        I agree. The only way they would cut back on the downloading would be to play each new episode within a 12-24 hour period, worldwide.

        • Re: Ratings will be fine

          I agree. The only way they would cut back on the downloading would be to play each new episode within a 12-24 hour period, worldwide.

          Truth be told, I’d be willing to pay the BBC to allow me to do that. We’re not talking about a 10-day delay here but likely a 5+ month delay. A pay-for-download or pay-for-streaming-viewing setup would at least allow us non-Brits to fund the good Doctor while getting what we may be inclined to get through less-legal means.

          I also think that there’s a difference between creating a buzz by leaking the pilot episode and encouraging whole-season downloads through lack of local distribution.

          All in all, it’s not the BBC’s fault that many stations are not airing the show in a timely fashion but I think that the lack of legal availability will, at the very least, foster whole-season piracy.

  2. Why no CBC?
    Does anyone know why there is such a delay with CBC carrying Dr. Who this year when last year it was only a week or two?

    • Re: Why no CBC?
      From the linked article:

      CBC is also the Canadian broadcaster for Series 2 of Doctor Who. Last year episodes aired 10 days after the UK due to the National Hockey League being on strike. This year episodes will air no earlier than Summer (after the Hockey playoffs are over) and could be held till Autumn 2006 when ratings will be higher.

      So it all comes down to stupid hockey (no offense to anyone who likes/plays hockey… this is just my personal opinion). The NHL strike last year was the best thing that ever happened to television.

      2006 is unfortunately another year of good TV being pre-empted by a bunch of adults who enjoy punching the crap out of each other for spite instead of trying to show sportsmanship or play their sport with skill.

      Call me a Canadian but curling is my sport – and it has never, to my knowledge, pre-empted Doctor Who. No one at the CBC has a clue (except for Rick Mercer, who is cool).

      • Re: Why no CBC?

        So it all comes down to stupid hockey (no offense to anyone who likes/plays hockey… this is just my personal opinion). The NHL strike last year was the best thing that ever happened to television.

        It’s nice to know I’m not the only "heretic" in these parts. I also agree that the "labour dispute" was a great boon for television.

      • Can’t believe I’m defendin hockey

        2006 is unfortunately another year of good TV being pre-empted by a bunch of adults who enjoy punching the crap out of each other for spite instead of trying to show sportsmanship or play their sport with skill.

        Ok, I hate organised sports, I’ve ranted profanity filled tirades on many occasions upon finding sport instead of the sci-fi I was expecting, but I’d like to say that hockey is a combat sport, and fighting skills are part of the game.

        What I would like, however, is for all televised sports to move permanently to sports channels. ALL televised sports. I don’t want it on the news (whothehell CARES which team threw the ball the most last night? There’s wars and research and other real news to talk about!), I don’t want the CBC to become 100% sports for two weeks evertime there’s the olympics, I want none of it.

        I want to opt out of sports on TV.

  3. Well that sucks
    But I must admit to feeling quite pleased that for a change it’s not the UK who have to wait like we do with virtually everything which gets made in America.

    • Re: Well that sucks
      As an American, I have to admit that turnabout is fair play, but it’s silly whichever direction it goes today with modern tech…

      • Re: Well that sucks
        Couldn’t agree more. Things are so available today by illegal means – how much easier would it be for timely access through the TV stations.

  4. Willing to make an exception
    I normally decry the downloading of shows that one doesn’t already have a right to (eg, HBO shows for people who haven’t bought HBO, BCC shows that have only been shown where people have paid TV license fees, etc). I’m pretty careful about it.

    HOWEVER, I’m willing to make an exception for Doctor Who. Why? Because the BBC was willing to make an exception, when they themselves trashed years of Doctor Who footage. Those many episodes would have been lost forever, had fans not made off with copies of the footage by hook or by crook. And the BBC is now happy to be able to sell me DVDs with content that only exists because of those fans.

    As far as I’m concerned, the BBC proved that it can not be trusted as the guardian of Doctor Who and every person who can, should keep an archive of it as soon as possible.

Comments are closed.