Mother Frakkin' Skiffy and Their Mother Frakkin' Rewind

Television, Movies Games and Books BSG-2003
#1

Without cable or dish, I depend on scifi.com to release BSG episodes the next day on Sci-Fi Rewind. Lately, they’ve been posting them so early on Saturday morning that I can catch them before I go to work (where the site is blocked). Kudos, Skiffy! I get to curl up in front of the computer on Saturday morning with a bowl of cereal like an eight-year-old and get my BSG fix before heading off to the day’s work.

But today it’s not up yet. And they’ve taken down the first two episodes of 4.5. I have a bad feeling about this…

They pulled this [sorryBarb] last year with 4.0, if ya’ll remember. They’d live stream the new episodes on scifi.com every Friday at noon. If you “tuned in” on time, you’d catch 'em, but if you didn’t, no big deal, you’d just have to wait till that night to watch it on TV like everyone else. And of course, they’d post them the next day on Rewind for you to watch whenever you wanted. It was a smart promotional move for Skiffy, and became a big weekly event for some dedicated fans. Sean, Chuck, and Audra would often watch the noon showing and post the podcast early. I never got in on it, because I was at work on Fridays, and again–SciFi blocked. Still, no big deal because I could catch them the next day on Rewind.

Then, halfway through 4.0, it stopped. No warning. The live streaming episode apparently stopped a few minutes in and invited the viewers to continue watching the episode that night on “real” television. And then Skiffy stopped posting the episodes on Rewind. Again, no warning, no announcement. The well went dry just like that. If you didn’t catch the episode on Friday night on the SciFi channel, you were SOL. Skiffy never said a word, and it was like it had never happened.

Watching the second half of BSG 4.0 was an exercise in obsessive dedication for me. I didn’t have any local geek friends with cable or dish to record the episodes for me. Though unable to get the episodes BOM on my own, I made use of connections who could, and by hook or by crook, kept up with the season. It was exhausting.

If they’re doing that again–pulling previously posted episodes so people can’t catch up and neglecting to post new episodes so people without cable or dish can watch them–I’m so done with Skiffy after this show. Think how much advertising money and website hits they’ll lose out on by cutting this feature. Granted, there was never any promise that this arrangement was permanent or anything more than a bonus, much like RDM’s commentary podcasts, but when you do something consistently for a while, it’s bizarre and frustrating when you stop for no explained reason, especially for the people who’ve begun to count on it. Maybe the episode will post later today, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re pulling the earlier episodes. They’re just going to force the hands of all the BOMmers again, defeating whatever misguided purpose they have in not making the episodes available online.

Fortunately, this year I think I’ve got someone who can record episodes for me, but I’ll have to wait a couple days to watch them. Better than nothing, that’s for frakking sure. If I have to rescind this statement later when/if the episode finally shows up, so be it. I’m just cranky this morning 'cause I didn’t get my BSG.

#2

aren’t new eps available on hulu?

#3

Sorry Glimfeather :frowning:

#4

Galactica Sitrep posted on this at the beginning of the season. The episodes would be available on SciFi rewind and Hulu the next day, but after the fifth or sixth episode they would start removing the earlier episodes little by little. I suppose it’s a way of building interest in the final DVD release (and the complete series Blu Ray set that apparently will be coming out in May or June. Makes me wish I had a Blu Ray player and beaucoup bucks).

#5

I don’t usually check out Galactica Sitrep, 'cause they tend to have spoilers. I checked Hulu and didn’t see anything there either. Again, it’s first thing in the morning. Possibly it’ll pop up later. But other shows on other networks are still available to watch even after the DVD releases (but Mo-oom, OTHER shows get to do it!). Regardless, most streaming media is blocked here at the St. Louis Science Center, so I’ll have to wait till tonight no matter where the episode appears.

sigh I guess I gotta go dunk my head in cold water to chill out. There are worse things than missing BSG. None come to mind at the moment, but I’m sure there are.

#6

I’m in the same boat Glimfeather, and I have had pretty much the same reaction as you.:frowning: I don’t want to go to “by other means,” such as “Tigh-snore-it,” but will if I have to. All they are doing is pissing me off…:mad:

#7

Glimfeather, don’t ever be surprised by anything Skiffy does. I think they have a bunch of recent college grads running things over there. These kids still have the Microsoft-type attitude of “You, our loyal idiot swine/customers, will accept every psyche-out and trick we do to you, and you will freakin’ like it.”

Hulu is pretty good about getting the episodes up for free within a few days.I used to buy the episodes the next day on Amazon Unbox or Itunes (depending on which season we’re talking). I believe they’re back to Itunes this year.

By the way, I would disagree with one thing you said. Galacticasitrep is actually pretty anti-spoilers. They post previews but that’s about it. (No, I’m not affiliated with them, but I frequent that site).

#8

You can also get them on iTunes I believe.

#9

On Hulu they’ve said since before the start of 4.5 that after last week’s episode they’ll be an 8 day delay in posting the episodes. To which I say - WTF?!

I feel you, Glimfeather. I also have no cable and my friends here don’t have it (or I don’t feel like I can impose on them to watch a show). I was out of the country even for part of 4.0.

By any means necessary becomes a mantra for some of us BSG fans - but it doesn’t have to be that way, and Skiffy/Universal/Hulu etc are missing out on a) revenue from online viewers in the first place and b) angering us to sucha degree that we’ll be unlikely to invest in their products in the future.

But wait, we knew that about them already. Sigh.

PM me if you need some more ideas of how to watch things, we’ve tried a bunch of different ones over the years.

#10

By the way, I would disagree with one thing you said. Galacticasitrep is actually pretty anti-spoilers. They post previews but that’s about it. (No, I’m not affiliated with them, but I frequent that site).

That’s been my experience. Progrrrl over there is pretty good about not including spoilers in her posts (since she doesn’t want any for herself) and if she links to an article that might have spoilers, she’ll point them out and the degree of spoilerage which they include. It’s a great site for getting news on BSG/Caprica.

#11

the episode is up on itunes. $2.99 for HD, 1.99 for standard.

#12

Yeah, to Skiffy’s very, very small credit, they did say they were going to do this, delay the release of the five episodes of the series. I get the feeling NBC-Universal is using BSG as testing grounds for how to juggle traditional television watching and watching TV via different Internet means in such a way that they make the most money. The theory might be that if it’s too readily available online, that’ll hurt real-time TV watching, or, and I think this is more likely, that it hurts iTunes and Amazon Unbox revenues. The latest episode is already up on iTunes and Amazon, so it is available to US fans (don’t get me started on the lack of availability outside the US)–just at $2 for the file instead of free with commercial interruption.

#13

I guess I’m just not paying attention to the right news sources (and I must have Galactica SitRep confused with another, more spoilerific site). Still doesn’t make it a good decision. There are so many ways to make money off this thing, so many portals to make it available in all those different ways, and so many people willing to go to any of them, that Skiffy really shouldn’t be closing any doors on itself.

If people want to have the episode to watch on their iPod, they will buy and download the file, and Skiffy makes money. If they want to gather with friends and watch it on TV when it airs, there will be more eyeballs on the tube, thus more advertising revenue, and Skiffy makes money. If they want to watch it online with short commercial breaks, there will be more hits to the site, thus more advertising revenue, and Skiffy makes money. If they want to wait till it comes out on DVD, they’ll rent or buy the discs, and Skiffy makes money. Some people may do all of these things, or just one, but however you slice it, Skiffy makes money. Because people want to see their frakking show.

#14

there is of course that other method that seems to have slipped my mind at the moment…
the episodes are great on hulu - great quality, and the commericials aren’t too bad… i’d bet alot less people just download it because of hulu. when it’s on hulu. right now its not on hulu…

#15

So I finally caved tonight and forked over my 2.99 to watch it on iTunes. Sorry for my immature hissy fit this morning. Excuse me, I have to go remove this shaft from my [sorryBarb].