P2P File Sharing

Improved Essays
A Reading Response of “Free TV: File-Sharing and the Value of Television” by Michael Z. Newman

Topic: The topic of Newman’s (2012) article presents the ever-changing value of TV shows as a public and private commercial enterprise. Modern TV shows have become private commercial property of TV networks, but the availability of “pirated” TV shows in P2P file-sharing networks has decreased their value. Ironically, the success of P2P file sharing has legitimized TV as a new “negotiation” of value in an age of digital convergence. Therefore, the “topic” of this article dictates the changing value systems of TV through the context of legal and illegal P2P file sharing networks that disseminate higher quality TV shows to the public.

Outline of Thesis: I.Newman (2012) Defines the Changing History of TV Distribution A.TV was free in the in the mid-20th century. B.TV became private commercialized service in late 20th and early 21st century. 1.Mass media corporations controlled TV viewing through distribution. 2. II.The Rise of P2P File Sharing A.BitTorrents and other P2P file sharing networks allow free access to TV. 1.P2P file sharing piracy threatens corporate TV networks. B.Illegal file sharing actually inspires better TV programming and wider distribution. III.P2P file sharing has created Free TV and boundless access for distribution. A.Illegal file sharing of TV shows has globalized TV content. 1.TV is no longer a low-quality form of entertainment produced at the national level.. B.The low valuation of TV has been altered in this new model of P2P distribution. 1.TV networks seek to constrain pirated TV shows. 2.P2P file sharing networks has improved the popularity of TV content through “free” access. Discussion/Main Arguments: 1.Three Problems of Value: Newman (2102) defines the three problem of value as (1) the result of file-sharing being a platform that increases the quality of TV programming at the cultural level, (2) file sharing has shifted the value of TV from a public good to a private good.
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And (3) P2P circulation of TV shows defies spatial locations, national boundaries, and political geographies. 2. User Rationales and the Value of Television: Newman (2012) defines the rationale for using illegal or “pirated” TV show files in P2P networks is based on resentment against media monopolies (Hollywood, TV networks, etc.) that charge high prices for cable TV services. Also, TV viewers using their own BitTorrents downloading services can create their own viewing content on their own terms. More so, Hulu.com and other legal TV video platforms offer free TV, but without the broader freedoms of illegal file sharing. Finally, P2P is “globalizing” the file sharing for TV shows, which has popularized the TV show in 2010s. 3. Industry Countermeasures and the Value of the Audience: Newman (2012) discusses the threat of pirated TV shows, which has destabilized the value of TV as a commercial form of entertainment. Hulu.com has become a for-profit competitor to illegal file sharing networks, but it cannot replace the appeal of “free” TV for P2P pirates on the Internet. Reaction: I found Newman’s …show more content…
I agree on the “globalization” of TV, which has improved the quality of TV shows in the 21st century. TV shows are no longer limited to the same regionalized or national boundaries, since the Internet is how an international phenomenon. More so, P2P networks challenge the corporate monopoly of TV distribution, which allow greater choice of content, availability, and viewing times. I think that these aspects of TV viewing are important arguments brought forth by Newman (2012) on the impact of P2P file sharing through the context of illegal

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