Interesting tactic. I’m not sure how much of a dent it will make, since a) Whovians are a global fanbase, and b) there are those who will download-to-keep just as there are those who will go further to buy boxed sets and watch them repeatedly over popcorn / from behind the sofa / because they want to repeat the good bits.

Still, nice to see the industry bending to fit reality for once, rather than vice-versa.

Dr Who shoves BitTorrent in the Tardis

New series to stream in Oz minutes after first Beeb broadacast

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) will stream the new series of Dr Who mere seconds after it finishes airing in the UK, in an effort to stop avid fans downloading the show.

The ABC has told news.com.au that it recognises fans’ urgent need to view new Who will mean many turn to ‘channel BT’ to obtain the new series. To make it unnecessary for them to do so, the ABC will therefore stream the first new episode on its iView service at 5:10 AM on Sunday September 2nd.

Sydney is nine hours ahead of London and the first new episode is scheduled to air on BBC One at 19:20 London time. Assuming the new episodes last 50 minutes, as most recent Whos have done, that means Australians will be permitted to see the new episode very soon after the conclusion of British broadcasts.

ABC1 Controller Brendan Dahill’s canned statement about the decision to stream the show said “For Doctor Who fans, it is a fantastic opportunity.” For pirates, presumably not so fantastic (unless they run iView rippers that download videos from the service as .MP4 files).

iView runs in a PC’s browser, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation and several Smart TVs. An Android incarnation is imminent, but flash-friendly tablets can already consume the service.

via Dr Who shoves BitTorrent in the Tardis • The Register.