Amazon is the latest streaming media company to pledge its desire to begin producing its own original content. I can’t help feeling this is the start of something big, something that will forever change the way we view television and movies.

A Small Revolution

As we have discussed many times here on WebTVWire there is a small revolution happening in terms of the production of original video content. After years of merely licensing classic television programming, some streaming companies are getting into the game themselves.

We have already seen YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Yahoo, and others entering into the production side of things. And now Amazon is joining them, with Amazon Studios putting the call out for writers and filmmakers to pitch ideas that could get turned into series. The shows will be exclusive to Amazon Instant Video, the online retailer’s streaming business.

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The BBC could soon be selling shows – both old and new – to the British public who originally funded the making of this content in the first place. A good idea, but not a wholly moral one.

BBC & The iPlayer

The BBC is responsible for some of the best television content on the planet. Shows such as Doctor Who and Top Gear have millions of fans around the world. And with the iPlayer it also provides one of the best catch-up TV services on the planet too.

However, there is an opportunity being missed here; to sell content to the public after transmission. According to paidContent, the BBC is now developing plans to rectify that situation.

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Wait, what? There’s a music label executive who thinks the Internet is a force for good? Wonders will never cease. Unfortunately his viewpoint will not enable German music fans to watch music videos on YouTube anytime soon.

GEMA

In Germany GEMA handles the rights of copyright owners. Unfortunately its monopoly position means it has pushed for higher rates per performance. With music videos on YouTube the group asked Google to pay 16 cents per stream, and music videos have consequently not been available in Germany since March 2009.

From what I gather this is a lot higher than the rate set by other performance rights organizations around the world. Many of which Google is happy to work with to ensure music videos are playable and that everyone gets paid fairly.

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Netflix has been pushing streaming video for some time. Which makes sense as it represents the future while physical media such as DVDs represent the past. The problem is not everyone is ready for the future, and some are even confused about the present.

Netflix Talks DVDs

Netflix is actually talking about DVDs again. Wonders will never cease. In an official blog post Netflix directed customers to dvd.netflix.com, where they can sign up for DVDs-by-mail for $7.99-per-month.

When I saw this news I wasn’t going to cover it. Because it wasn’t really newsworthy. Because it was nothing new. But then something strange happened: the blogosphere assumed Netflix was bringing back DVDs, even though it had never got rid of them in the first place. Now that’s news.

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Hollywood will, and has been for many years now, tell us all that piracy is the big, bad wolf that is threatening to burn Hollywood down. This is not actually the case. There is a much simpler explanation for dwindling box office takings.

Piracy Isn’t Killing Hollywood

Piracy isn’t killing Hollywood. In fact, it’s having no discernible effect on U.S. box office receipts. It is harming international box office receipts, but for one very good reason: the delay between movies being released in the U.S. and being released elsewhere around the world.

This is according to a paper from researchers at the University of Minnesota and Wellesley College titled, ‘Reel Piracy: The Effect of Online Film Piracy on International Box Office Sales.’

The research finds that there is no evidence that piracy is affecting box office takings in the U.S. Internationally there is evidence of such, but it’s directly proportional to how long a delay between the U.S. release and the international release. In other words, release a film in every country simultaneously and minimize the problem at a stroke.

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Watch out, Netflix, you have (more) competition. And this time it’s in the shape of Amazon. Offering streaming video as part of a package is one thing, but what if it were to offer it as a standalone product?

Amazon Prime Instant Video

Amazon Prime is a service costing $79-per-year. For that price Amazon customers not only get free two-day shipping on all products but also access to an all-you-can-eat buffet of streaming video goodness.

Amazon has this week added Viacom to the list of companies providing content for Prime Instant Video. That brings MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon into the mix, amongst others. It also means Amazon Prime Instant Video has broken the 15,000 shows and movies threshold.

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MegaUpload is no more, at least in its former capacity. We can now look forward to a long and expensive legal battle, and no difference whatsoever being made to how content is shared over the Internet.

MegaUpload Goes Down

One of the biggest websites in the world, and the most-trafficked cyberlocker services on the Web, MegaUpload, has been taken offline. Furthermore, several of the company’s key employees, including founder Kim Dotcom, have been arrested and charged.

The takedown and arrests were the culmination of a two-year investigation into the site and its alleged breaching of copyright infringement laws. 20 search warrants were executed in at least seven countries.

The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that those involved with the company made millions of dollars by turning a blind eye to the file-sharing of copyrighted content that was happening on MegaUpload’s servers. This despite MegaUpload complying with DMCA notices from media companies.

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