[dazbradbury]

"In the UK, Kodi boxes have garnered more attention from authorities, thanks to stingy soccer fanatics driving an early swell of adoption"

This is very unfair. I don't own a Kodi box, but in the UK it's against the law to show football games on TV on Saturday between 2:45pm and 5:15pm [1]. So it's not "stingy" football fans, it's fans that have no other way to watch a 3pm kick off without actually going to the game itself. No matter how much someone may be willing to spend, a game being sold out / distance from home / time commitments etc. are all non-stingy reasons to not be able to watch a game.

It sounds like Kodi boxes have fulfilled that desire, rather than allowing people to circumvent a paid service as the article implies.

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_on_television...

[Crosseye_Jack]

As being known as "the computer geek" in my local I am often asked if I supply "Kodi Boxes" (I Don't). In my experience of the people who ask it's a bit of column A (wanting free Sky Sports), a bit of column B (wanting games that are not shown live in the UK) and a bit of column C (Wanting movies and other on-demand tv content).

[racl101]

That's my quagmire with movies right now.

I have an 3rd Gen Apple TV and the thing is as slow as fuck to stream movies. Also, Apple TV doesn't immediately put out movies for rent, as fast as it does for buying.

I just want to rent the fucking movies. Not buy them. There's no more brick and mortar video rental stores in my area.

They just make it more enticing to pirate the movie since it's probably easier. (Not that I actually do.)

[tomjen3]

It isn't even just renting. You can't get movies before they are spoiled unless you pay a fortune to see them in an inconvenient location filled with ads, and criminal markup on popcorn.

And it is definitely easier to see movies that have been pirated.

[pwinnski]

I'm pretty sure "they" in this case are the studios, not Apple, but yeah, this sucks. They want us to spend a lot of money on a movie we're going to watch once, or we have to wait weeks or even months to rent it for much cheaper.

[lostboys67]

A lot of the problem is pubs not paying the higher rate sky wants for pubs to show football - that's what a lot of prosecutions are.

[sofaofthedamned]

Exactly. There's also other matches at non 3pm times that aren't shown in the UK. Not paying £70p/m+ is definitely a factor, but not the only one.

[mavhc]

Seems like that's an agreement, not a law

[icebraining]

"The Premier League and Sky maintain that, while grey market viewing of games is not illegal on the part of the viewer, it is illegal for anyone (such as a public house) to make such services openly available. This has in the past lead to heavy fines for public houses in the United Kingdom which have shown 3pm games in their establishments."

[blibble]

that's standard copyright infringement though, rather than an explicit law?

[emodendroket]

What difference does that make to anyone?

[bmsleight_]

The FA Laws have this regulation for a reason. To see a football match between 2:45pm and 5:15pm, go to one of them! Live! It is much more fun and entertaining the TV, with 91[1] clubs in the football league and many more football matches in non-League. It is easy and cheap to see a live football match. It not all about the Premiership.

Without supporting the lower league clubs, the top teams, do do have the talent coming through. It is easy to see the next top-player out on loan for less than £15 per match. There are many, many, in League one or two (Div 3&4) in old money or non-league within short distance - heck even walking distance from most placing the country.

This is a good regulation that protects the game. Don't let Sky/Murddock dictate what football is or is not.

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFC_Wimbledon

[coheeman]

I genuinely wonder if you're not being paid to write this comment

[bmsleight_]

I am not being paid. Also it was good planning of me to set-up my account 908 days ago.

I just have a passion for protecting parts of football by regulation. Not every sport is about TV rights.

[LordKano]

This is an example of market forces at work.

[fao_]

In case you're not being scarcastic: There is no such thing as these vague "market forces" you proclaim.

[LordKano]

No. I wasn't being sarcastic.

Yes. It is precisely what I said it was.

The existing market wasn't being responsive to the wants and needs of their customers so the underground market sprung up to meet those needs.

It's not that people aren't willing to pay for these things, it's that they want to have a convenient way of doing so.

John Q Customer is not going to pay for Cable+Internet, Netflix, Hulu, CBS All Access, Amazon Prime and HBO Go.

Media company green caused this.

[nilved]

Wow, that's seriously ridiculous. What a strange place.

[shrikant]

It's a fairly common practice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackout_(broadcasting)

[have_faith]

We both know full well that mass football fan adoption of the service isn't just to watch the odd game at that specific time on one day of the week.

You're right that it isn't strictly "stingy", but wanting something you've been denied isn't a good reason to take it.

[thomastjeffery]

"take" isn't a great word for this context, since it implies something lost by the other party.

[tomjen3]

The standard reason for not pirating is that it cost the producers money. In the case where they won't sell it at prices (some) people would pay for, who does piracy hurt?

[have_faith]

I don't see "they won't sell it to me at a price I like" as justification for pirating it yourself as if it's somehow deserved. I would much prefer people use an argument not based on whether or not the cost means you should be allowed to have it or not.

[ravishi]

Hey, I just want to thank for a book recommendation of yours I picked up in another thread. Didn't find any other way of contacting you, so here we are. Scattered Minds: this book has just changed my life. Thank you so much, kind internet stranger.