It’s not like they’re making a ton off them, and if they allowed them to be viewed on the net or via iTunes or Amazon download I think there would be some demand for series like these.
My dad told me growing up: “If you’ve got something people want, don’t give it away.”
But “online viewing” does not equal “give it away.” iTunes and Amazon both charge for downloads, whereas Hulu and YouTube both carry ads within videos.
These shows still have some appeal to me (I’m 52) but if they keep waiting IMO that gravy train is going to leave the station simply due ot the passage of time.
There’s no single answer. Every rights holder probably has a different reason for not releasing their properties.
Right. Our best-earning filmmakers are the ones we get onto hulu. Lots of royalties paid to content providers from ad revenue.
You are not wrong. Just about six months back, fans of Jack Benny went to CBS, owner of the old Jack Benny Show, that they would pay the cost of restoring the old masters of the show. Then the “fans” and CBS would split the cost of selling the DVDs to the show. CBS simply declined, saying that they’d prefer not to release the show at all.
This 'caused a lot of anger on the Jack Benny boards. I can’t imagine why a company would simply decline to release a product, especially when they don’t front the costs, but as this poster said, evidently they have their reasons
TV Shows on DVD has a great “What’s the holdup?” FAQ. It focuses on why shows haven’t been released on DVD, rather than why they aren’t available online, but it goes into a lot of the different factors that can affect the release of a TV show, including music rights, disputes over ownership, conflicts between studios, etc. It’s updated regularly, so you can find out the latest about shows you’re looking for.
OTOH, My Favorite Martian is available from Amazon Video on Demand at $1.99 per episode.
I suspect that a big part of the reason is that they know that the classics would compete too strongly with the stuff they’re churning out now.
WAG: If there’s even a tiny chance that [Show X] will be remade as a movie in the next ten years, maybe they want to save the tv show so they can release it as a tie-in to the movie.
That is why some people don’t balk at buying pirate CDs/DVDs/etc. I have bought two, vowing that if they are ever officially released, I will gladly buy the official release. I am also glad to say that I got to keep that promise for one of them- some TV movie where Louis Jourdan played some undead blood-drinking nobleman. The other is a TV movie about cloning and Ford-worship starring Harold (w/o Maude) and Mrs. Kotter.
What’s the point of not saying Dracula or Brave New World?
I can’t wait for Small Wonder to come back again! :eek: (Insert barfy smilie here)
The grief they’d get over Eddie Anderson would eat profits into losses in a major hurry.
No kidding. Under current law, over 70 percent of American music recorded before 1965 is not legally available in the United States, and you know there has to be a damned good reason for that kind of situation.