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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most frugal guy on Thrifty Street, but I don’t like paying for things I don’t use. That’s why I don’t have a personal cell phone, and it’s why I refuse to buy a melon baller in spite of all that flashy advertising from Big Melon. And lately, cable TV has been creeping onto my list of things that I probably don’t use enough to justify the cost. I’m currently paying $34 + tax per month for standard definition digital TV through Aliant. This includes one “specialty” package and gives me about 90 channels or so. I’m not really sure, because I’ve only ever watched about 4-5 of them. While it’s nice to know that I could choose between a dozen or so reality shows at any moment, and that I have an entire channel dedicated to Three’s Company reruns, it’s sort of like knowing that my wristwatch can withstand a direct blow from a samurai sword- cool, but inconsequential.
Our TV viewing habits are heavily shaped by our PVR. There are only two shows that we currently regularly watch “live”, namely The Office and 30 Rock. Aside from these shows, we’ve got a range of favourites that we record for viewing when we get the chance, like any new Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU episodes. Darling wife likes to record Jon and Kate Plus 8, although I let her watch those ones solo- if I wanted to hear screaming kids for a half an hour, I’d go to the playroom at McDonald’s. At least then I could drown the pain in a cheeseburger.
Since December, I’ve been keeping tabs on how much we actually use our cable subscription. The result? We watch live TV even less than I had expected. Even I was surprised by the results:
Live TV 6.5%
Recorded TV 44.2%
DVD 1.1%
Media Center Content* 48.2%
*includes downloaded content, ripped DVDs, and streaming online video
For those who like a good pie chart (and really- who doesn’t?), here are my results in visual form:
Based on this data, it seems that cable TV (both live and recorded) accounts for 50.2% of my TV viewing, and that probably justifies the $34 a month. But it’s not that simple- most (if not all) of those shows that are being pre-recorded could also be easily obtained either from network websites or as dirty, dirty downloads. This way of viewing shows- classified in the chart as Media Center Content- already makes up 48.2% of my viewing. It would take virtually no effort to bump that percentage up to 92.4%. If I decided to make that move, would it still be worth paying $34 per month for just 6.5% of my TV trance time, especially when I can easily get the shows I usually watch live if I’m willing to wait just a few extra hours? Almost certainly not. Am I willing to make this move to save $34 a month? I’m not sure.
At the risk of getting taken out by an industry anti-piracy sniper, I’ll admit that a good portion of my “Media Center Content” is legally dubious. While it includes watching fully legal clips through network websites, it also includes a number of TV series downloaded through BitTorrent and streaming video from websites that required me to hop the geofence to gain access, not to mention DVDs that I own legally but have ripped to my hard drive. Similarly, I know full well that every show I record on my PVR is a copyright infringement, regardless of how common and accepted this technology has become. My rough estimate would be that 70% of my current TV viewing involves content that infringes copyright in some manner.
The problem is that cutting cable would be an admission of what I already know- that much of my entertainment comes from less than legal sources. My guilt is somehow appeased by paying money to someone- anyone!- for my TV pleasures, and it allows me to turn a blind eye to all the infringing content that I enjoy. Perhaps it’s that my Catholic upbringing taught me that purchasing an indulgence or holy candle from the nuns could secure the absolution of my venial sins. I know it’s not very logical (and, as a result, this comparison is likely to equally offend both my Catholic and Vulcan readers), but as long as I keep paying for cable I don’t feel so bad about all the shows I didn’t pay for.
I’m sure many readers are tut-tutting my admissions, and perhaps rightfully so. But I’m also fairly certain that a significant portion of those reading this are in the same boat as I am- they are increasingly looking to legally questionable distribution channels for their entertainment, and they find that existing copyright laws are so out of step with current technologies and trends as to be meaningless. When copyright laws turn seemingly innocuous activities into criminal behavior, their legitimacy gets called into question and our inhibitions about continuing to violate intellectual property rights are greatly reduced. The greatest threat to intellectual property rights comes not from emerging technologies, but from the inefficiency and lack of moral standing that results when laws fail to adapt to a changing society.
And now for the real kicker- as faithful readers will know, I make a living protecting intellectual property. I respect those who create content, and I’m a content creator myself. I know how it feels to have your works ripped off, and when there are comparable legal options available (such as iTunes for music downloads) I’ll gladly pay for downloads. But I’m also frustrated and disillusioned with a system that pushes people towards infringement by failing to adapt and evolve.
Will I keep paying for cable TV? I’m not sure. The $450 a year I would save would certainly find use elsewhere, and I recognize that whether I’m paying it or not I’m still committing all sorts of copyright no-nos. Even so, pulling the plug feels like I’m resigning myself to the dark side, and I’m not sure that I’m prepared to take that step. Or at least not yet.
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Most people know the importance of having mentors and role models in business, particularly for those at an early stage of their career. While I don’t dispute that such people are important, sometimes its even more important to have the exact opposite- a rival, an antagonist, or even a nemesis. Or, as I like to say, a Neil Young. [But wait! There is more!]
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I love getting comments from readers, especially when they challenge what I write or present another take on an issue. I got a very interesting comment from a reader earlier this week stemming from my Globe and Mail article about investment strategies. In the article, my love of tobacco stocks* is mentioned. Here’s what reader D. Warren had to say:
Without a doubt a thoughtful person such as you would debate in your own mind the issue of investing personal wealth in a big multinational tobacco company . How did you come to your apparent level of comfort? Not moralizing on you, but interested in hearing your take.
Also, do you think tobacco is a sound investment given all of the government-forced settlements that companies are likely going to have to enter into around the world ?
This is a question that I’ve received more than once. [But wait! There is more!]
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No, not like that. But I am about to “out” myself for the first time on this site by pointing you to an article that was published about me and my investment strategies in the Globe and Mail on Saturday. To quote my boy Biggie, if you don’t know, now you know…
My identity has not exactly been a well kept secret- I tell pretty much anyone who asks, and anyone who wanted to know who I “really” am could find out without much trouble. When I received a number of unrelated emails wondering if it was indeed me in the Globe and Mail, I knew for sure that my identity was about as private as Britney Spears’ lady parts. And ultimately, I thought the article was pretty neat and figured that my readers would enjoy it, so I decided to throw anonymity to the wind and post a link on Twitter and directly from this site.
So there you have it- my name is Chris, and I’m a blogger. I’ll just sit back and wait for the crazy internet stalkers to emerge…
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