MPAA: Piracy as a leading indicator of sales (?)

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Posted by Bryan Andrews | Posted in: Articles | December 2007

When they’re not suing grandmothers or children for downloading over P2P networks and bitorrent the MPAA are apparently using the exact same technology and networks to test the popularity of movies and TV shows.

…unofficial, but sanctioned television show leaks on BitTorrent. Broadcasters aren’t posting their shows directly on PirateBay yet, but they are talking informally and giving copies of shows to a friend of a friend who is unaffiliated with the company to make a torrent. Why? Well, it’s partially an experiment, but the hope is that distribution of content this way will lead to new viewers who wouldn’t have been reached through traditional marketing means. Early signs indicate that these experiments are working.

Source: CNET