While VOD and Catchup TV services are slowly revolutionising viewing habits in Australia, often the biggest hurdle is still finding the content your looking for amid a sea of services.
When I received a press release for the Digital Content Guide yesterday I was hopeful this problem might finally have been solved. Sadly this ‘guide’ is not an index of Movies and TV Shows, this website is just a bunch of links to other websites.
While services such as Can I Stream It in the US provide a combined index for all the content on services such as Netflix, Hulu, and iTunes, the Digital Content Guide is another missed opportunity that only serves as a reminder just how far behind the Australian VoD industry is. Sadly for most Aussie viewers the fastest and most convenient option is still The Pirate Bay.
Commissioned by an assembly of Australia’s creative content associations, creators and distributors, The Digital Content Guide is marketed as an effort to provide a quick and easy way for Australians to find and enjoy access to licensed online entertainment services including TV shows, movies, music, eBooks, video games and sport.
The Television section of the guide includes all of the key local players including ABC iview, 7Play, 9Jumpin, tenplay, SBS OnDemand, iTunes and Foxtel. Well its not hard to include a link.
The site directs visitors to information about different services, which can be clicked to directly to explore and enjoy. Australians will see a wide choice of licensed digital services for a variety of content across different devices and platforms. As the breadth of options continues to grow, the site will keep pace in order to help Australians find the content they want from a licensed service.
Simon Burke, Actors’ Equity President said, “People are passionate about entertainment and we are passionate about creating it. Therefore, it’s critical to ensure that the creative industries receive the support they need, through legitimate use, so that the 900,000* Australians they employ can continue to make them thrive.”
The Digital Content Guide is a joint effort by APRA AMCOS, The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), The Australian Screen Association (ASA), Copyright Agency Ltd., News Corp Limited, Foxtel and Village Roadshow Limited.
For more information, visit The Digital Content Guide at: www.digitalcontentguide.com.au.
