For a very long time, we've all wanted Hasbro to release episodes outside of the United States in a legal fashion so that more people could support them.
As it turns out, citing a recent email from a Hasbro representative, Hasbro releasing episodes before they are aired on the respective country's television networks infringes on the deals made with those networks. There is a holdback period as well- a period in which a network can bar sales of DVDs and other downloads of the episode for a while after it has been aired.
You can find the full text of the email below the break, names removed.
This goes a long way to explaining why legal downloads of the show are scarce outside the United States. Unfortunately it also means that we just have to be patient. Legal systems are picky, finicky things, especially when they have to work together.
For the meantime, we'll need to stick to Youtube. It's not ideal, but so far it's worked fairly well.
Dear [REDACTED],
Thanks for your email and your interest in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. We understand your frustration but the reason Hasbro can’t make the new episodes available outside of the US on YouTube/iTunes/DVDs etc. is that it would infringe on the deals made with TV networks outside of the US. A TV network would be very upset and could in some cases have a suit against Hasbro if an episode were viewed in their market for free or even via a DVD before it aired on their network. And some TV network deals also include a certain "holdback" time period on when an episode airs on their network vs. how long it would be OK for it to be aired/available elsewhere.
Unfortunately this also means, that for the time being you need to be patient. At the moment we don’t have any deals in place with Finnish broadcasters but we are working on it. But fingers crossed that we at some point will be able to offer episodes both localized and original on iTunes in Europe as well, since we would love to be able to provide this opportunity to all of our fans.
I do hope you will continue to support My Little Pony.
(Insert MLP:Fim picture here)
Med venlig hilsen / Kind regards,
[REDACTED] | Nordic Senior Brand Manager - Games & My Little Pony
178 comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for everyone outside the US
ReplyDeleteOh crap... Didn't mean nice! ... And that kids, is why you shouldn't text and comment (and FB chat) at the same time
ReplyDeleteBOOM BOOM
ReplyDeleteI'M A STORMCLOUD
So, at least they recognize that there's an international interest. That's good.
ReplyDeleteNice! Lol "Insert MLP:FiM picture here"
ReplyDeleteYeah, I figured it was something pretty much along those lines as to why they haven't released the episodes for sale outside some areas like the States just yet. Makes sense. So everyone is just going to have to be patient until deals with said regional areas can be put in place for the selling of them there.
ReplyDelete@ Travis Smith yea since theres probably just as many fans outside the states as there is inside the states. Probably more.
ReplyDeleteSo far in Australia Boomerang has only been Playing the first 13 episodes. They just yesterday restarted back at episode 1. Hopefully this time around they'll show some more episodes. Right now I'll have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteGood...
ReplyDeleteWell at least we know know, can't wait to but them lagaly on iTunes in the UK.
ReplyDeleteSigh... more waiting. And they wonder why some people go through "less legal means". If they only figured something out to easily make the episodes available to everyone in the world then all this would be a thing of the past. Some companies already do this, so why can't Hasbro?
ReplyDeleteWell, i've never downloaded anything. Dunno how, lol.
ReplyDeleteWhat I figured. Would have been good to know sooner though since yesterday afternoon I sent out a snail mail to Hasbro that in part addressed this topic.
ReplyDeleteIf by "certain" networks, he means the hub then i know whose side im on! GO TEAM [Redacted]!
ReplyDelete@Trippn I am but one of many bronies living outside the US, waiting for our turn at the dvds.
ReplyDeleteLol @ the insert picture here. Hopefully one of these days though they'll release all the episodes in a set.
ReplyDeleteI kinda figured this to be the case. Would be nice if Hasbro can push the international networks to air the episodes sooner. I live in the US, but I feel for our Brony brethren abroad.
ReplyDelete@Travis Smith
Nightmare Night's over, Shadow Dash.
"Be patient"...hmmm *nods* I can do that.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's what many of us thought, but it's always nice to see the company answer, and the tone of the mail makes it sound like there is hope. After all, if it gets out even in one country in DVD, all of us european bronies can buy it :)
ReplyDeleteWhat I've always thought is that, had they known how succesful the show was going to be, they wouldn't had signed those contracts back then. But, alas, MLP was supposed to be another girly show for kids :)
Thinking about it, perhaps that's the reason behind the 2nd season not airing in europe. Perhaps they are refraining from tying themselves like they did with the 1st so they can release the episodes themselves when the time is right. More hope even! :)
You mean never downloaded episodes right bombedrumbum?
ReplyDeleteCause I mean... Anything? O_o
Oh, and to add on to my post. DVDs for outside the States for the non US Bronies.
ReplyDeletethis is good news.
ReplyDeleteWe now know that its not there end preventing non usa bronies from legally obtaining episodes.
Tho I wont expect episodes in NZ to be available to next year, if at all.
@Jimperator
ReplyDeleteYour point?
*dark cloud sneaking over your head*
You mean never downloaded episodes right bombedrumbum?
ReplyDeleteCause I mean... Anything? O_o
Not even available in Canada, the country the show's made in...
ReplyDelete=/
Great to see Hasbro responding to our interest. Sucks that there's legal hurdles preventing ponies from being readily available outside the US, but like everyone has said more or less, it was sort of expected. As cliche as it sounds, all we can do now is be patient and hope that something comes along soon so the international community can get their ponies.
ReplyDeleteI'm perfectly fine with waiting. I do hope the outside-U.S. bronies will get they're DVDs soon after we get ours.
ReplyDeletePatience is a virtue.
ReplyDeleteEven if they release the boxed set, I probably won't b able to get it, as my parents think it's weird I watch this, and my older cousins will never let me hear the end of it
ReplyDelete*sigh* still saving up iTunes gift cards 4 episodes
@3p1c_d3m0n You disgust me.
ReplyDeleteanypony else notice that they said youtube? We thought they were taking them down?
ReplyDeleteThis is why we need to destroy ALL the TV networks!
ReplyDeleteBut seriously this syste, and region locking are very high on my list of 'things that need to be abolished'.
Not a problem, we remember RuBronys' reaction to official release.
ReplyDeleteAs I thought, complicated legal bullshit. So we wait.
ReplyDeleteAlways with the muffin
ReplyDelete@ftfc No they didn't. Cereal did.
ReplyDeleteI feel really sorry for all the international bronies that have to go through with this as I live in the US.
ReplyDeleteBut at least Hasbro's explaination about this brony concern has been answered. Hopefully you all will eventually support the show really soon.
But I ask that you international folk do NOT pirate the episodes because that is only going to make things worse for all of us and especially all the international markets.
Regardless you all should support the show through other means: buying merchandise and spreading the word that is MLPFiM. The more people that know about this, the higher the demand hence Hasbro will be further encouraged to bring the episodes/DVD's for sale
@ftfc
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was thinking.
@Travis Smith
ReplyDelete*Grounds a lightning rod next to himself*
Well the dark look is cool and all but you had your shot at having a real Shadowbolt uniform for permanent use. You decided to be loyal instead.
Still dosnt explain why CN in the UK ONLY got 13 episodes of both MLP and TF: Prime and stuck on constent repeats
ReplyDelete@Sethisto
ReplyDeleteAlways with the Trixie.
I'm a spanish brony. I get my episodes from YouTube. And our dubbing of the show is mediocre at best. I'm perfectly okay with this, fo several reasons.
ReplyDelete1, despite me getting all the episodes through YouTube, I am definitely buying them from the iTunes store when they hit Spain. I want to support Hasbro, and I don't care what the Apple haters (or those who point out how silly it is to buy something I already own pirated) have to say about it.
2, because when DVD's/BlueRays hit here, they will likely come with several language options. No worries.
3, It's just a show guys, no need to get worked up about it.
@ftfc
ReplyDeleteWell' this is rpetty much the same reason they have to do so... If they didn't, it would be the same than they allowing it, so TV companies could sue them... All legal bull*yay*
Luckily they don't do it in a very efficient way. Just look at youtube itself :P
Copyright law really does break everything. Not that it needs to go away, far from it, but it does need a serious, internationally recognized, overhaul.
ReplyDeleteFor as many pirates and plagiarizers as copyright law hinders, it hinders even more people who actually want to support something good, and that's just a tragedy.
@Jimperator
ReplyDeleteWithout Loyalty there is no trust, when there is no trust, there is hatred, where there is hatred there is no Harmony
And I still can't decide on a Shadowbolt shirt
@Sleepingcobrox Hm-hmmm. So, basically, "sucks to be you, guys, but I live in the U.S. of effing-A. Don't download or pirate it!"
ReplyDeleteSoooo... I missed this week's episode on the Hub (yep, I watch Hub streams. I plead guilty to that). I don't live in the US. I can't see the episode other than in Youtube. Screw me for losing an episode because Youtube is not nice to Hasbro, that's it?
No, I'm sorry. Until a solution is found, I don't care about Hasbro's legal problems. I want to watch episodes in my country, and I want to take part in the discussions, and to create pony-based art.
@Sethisto
ReplyDelete*rasies storm cloud*
Oh Seth....
@ZeroG
ReplyDeleteMost likely explanation? They either didn't want to pay for rights to air the entire season when they didn't know if it'd be profitable, or they wanted to avoid a long, binding contract with Hasbro.
It sucks, but that's the law for ya.
@James Corck
ReplyDeletespanish brony here too :)
"Mediocre at best" is being too nice about it. I stumbled upon a fragment on youtube and couldn't watch for more than 15 seconds.
I seriously dread some day turning on the TV and listening Pinkie Pie with that "standard girly show voice" instead of her lovely squeaks again >__<
Based off of the mail above, at least it looks like Hasbro wants to make MLPFIM more accessible.
ReplyDeleteNow I wonder if they are at liberty to say when those contracts allow them to distribute the show in different areas?
@Sleepingcobrox
ReplyDeleteIt depends on what you mean by 'Pirate', ripping the video off Youtube is pretty much the best way I have to get the episode, if that's considered 'pirating', then what am I do to? Wait a year for the DVD to be released and ignore all the fan-made content to avoid spoilers?
Government and Economy are the two most spectacular things in this world. Mostly for how easily they can give you a headache with their legalities. (In truth, though, this one does make sense.)
ReplyDeleteGovernment and Economy are the two most spectacular things in this world. Mostly for how easily they can give you a headache with their legalities. (In truth, though, this one does make sense.)
ReplyDelete@Hawklaser
ReplyDeleteI thought of it. It would be nice if Habsro could make a list of all the TV stations that had bought the licences, so we could ask them nicely.
I don't think it should be protected information, but who knows, being leggal issues as twisted as they are...
@Travis Smith
ReplyDeleteCould have still been loyal, the loyalty would have been owed to Nightmare Moon is all...
Totally worth sleek, dark, awesome uniforms.
This is pretty much what we had guessed. The sad thing is that Hasbro probably negotiated the overseas TV rights before they knew FiM was going to be the phenomenon it has become.
ReplyDeleteOne quick question for proud brainowners here:
ReplyDeleteWho made these deals?
a) Conan the Barbarian
b) Pinkie Pie
c) Adolf Bush
d) Hasbro
Thank you :)
Okie dokie.
ReplyDeleteSo in my case then, that would mean that Treehouse TV, since I live in Canada, would have the rights to distribute My Little Pony in Canada, but they also have the right to "hold back" the series. As far as I understand, the network isn't showing anything but the first season, and I am inclined to believe that they might not be rushing to place it on itunes because they are unaware of the popularity of the show. Perhaps it might work to contact Treehouse and express interest in making the show more available in Canada. Unfortunatly all the paperwork was created long before people knew this show would be a runaway success. I guess it's up to us to educate the networks outside the US who carry the show on how popular the show actually is. Of course in the case of Treehouse, the problem is that they arn't prepared for this kind of thing. It's a channel that shows nothing but shows for preschoolers, so unless you are like me and like Timothy Goes to School and other waaaay age inapproprate things, then you might not get much out of contacting Treehouse.
ReplyDeleteOh and:
ReplyDeletewww.demonoid.me
Enjoy :)
@Kether
ReplyDeleteOh man, I'll start a discussion about how awful the spanish dub is, but I doubt this is the right place for it. It effing blows. I watched all the episodes, for pure research purposes. I still like Trixie though. She sounds alright.
Pinkie Pie sounds like Rosa from Operación Triunfo when she sings DX
It's great to see that even the legal department over at Hasbro is at least willing to keep us in the loop, since most wouldn't even bother. I'm one of the lucky people that has an option to purchase (and I did do so today), but my heart goes out to all of you that don't have that chance.
ReplyDeleteWoah, the comments are nice and shiny now.
ReplyDelete@Maquabra
ReplyDeleteHasbro, but when everyone (even us) though "MLP is going to be just another girly show". So they took the usual licensing route. Same as with any other show ever produced. No reason to do otherwise.
As I said before, it gives me hope that 2nd season hasn't aired in europe. It probably means that they don't want to make the same kind of shitty deals with it, giving them more freedom.
@Maquabra
ReplyDeleteDeals are usually made months ahead, as there needs to be a process to convert the episodes and hire a dubbing studio that has a reasonable number of voice actors to provide the voices. Plus, translating the scripts. So Hasbro thought they would have enough time to do this, but then we happened and threw their calculations out the window.
However, I'm picking Pinkie Pie. This whole situation is too unpredictable not to be her doing.
@Jimperator
ReplyDeleteOf only, I wish they'd make a reappearance, either as a splinter group or, new episode Idea, Nightmare Moon is still alive and she wishes to become one with the Elements.
If I had my own suit, red lighting in the side with black
derpy looks tasty :)
ReplyDeleteCredit for this post goes to Switchbored55 over at ponychan in the relevant thread there. Basically, it can't be helped, because TV deals are usually locked down in advance.
ReplyDelete-Hasbro had NO IDEA in advance that the show would be as popular as it is now, or even that the product they ended with would be so high quality, and proceeded to produce it like any run-of-the-mill little kids flash show (low budget, shorter production schedule, let the studio do what they want, etc.).
-Arrangements for broadcasting rights and distribution deals are done a long time before the shows actually premiere anywhere, even on the US. This is why you sometimes get cases of TV shows and cartoons made in the US that premiere first in Canada, Europe or South America.
-Not knowing in advance the impact the show would have on other audiences (again, all this was done before the show aired anywhere), most negotiations were probably carried out on the assumption it wasn't going to be a big thing. This means other networks would snatch up the rights for as long as possible, run the episodes on their own terms, and block alternative distribution in their region until they got their money's worth on reruns.
Interesting. I hadn't looked at it from that perspective before, but it makes perfect sense now that I think about it.
ReplyDeleteDerp, all that and then I get the name wrong. switchbored505 for the prior post.
ReplyDelete@Nightmare Moon I finally think I should confront you, so here it goes: are you here to...have my body for...existing in? *shying back*
ReplyDelete@Princess Luna
ReplyDeleteThat would only result in trouble for both of us, so no.
That's too bad about the wait, but it's pretty cool of them to at least explain it.
ReplyDelete@Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon
ReplyDeleteOkay as a Shadowbolt and former Royal guard, both of you stay away from each other, things will be okay
@Nightmare Moon Good, and there's another Luna, you know, the one that isn't you or a foal but she doesn't come on much. Want a juice box?
ReplyDeleteDear haters that are not currently embracing love and tolerance.
ReplyDeleteDo not insult me for what I said just because I live in the US.
I want this show to reach as much people in general just as much as you all want more bronies to pop up from out of nowhere.
Hasbro has understood us all and can understand the high demand. I would wish for a world in which all bronies would be able to watch the episode together and have an immediant disussion around the world but sadly due to these laws that cannot be the case. If you all want Hasbro to release the episodes outside the US let them know.
There is currently a twitter account named @MLPetition. My suggest to all the international bronies out there is to go and sign the petition. For now this is your best bet as to let Hasbro know how may international bronies want to buy the episodes. Let them know you all exist and that you would support the show just as much as the US
I have not intended any hate and I wish you all success when the day comes that ALL bronies will be able to support the show by buying the episodes
@Kurraga: Boomerang did the same thing in the UK. They looped three times and I gave up after that.
ReplyDelete@Sethisto
ReplyDeleteReference Classico by Tenacious D for tune.
Can't you see he's the man let me hear you applaud.
He is more than a man he's a shiny golden god.
Cause if you think it's time to post pony
than you can see
that dear Sethy
will never cease to post
till he's the ghost
that we love most.
Cause when you see
he posts pony.
He does it all
for you and me.
Cause if you think it's time to if you think it's time to post ponyyyyyeeeee.
He. Is going. To stay awake all year.
So we. Can view. The ponies we hold dear.
Reading and bucking drawing and bucking watching and bucking... *babbles incoherently until song's end*
*sits here and reads comments*
ReplyDeleteDon't mind me.
@Sleepingcobrox I do not hate you, specially for living in the US. I'm an UK expat, but I have great affection for your country. Also, sorry if I seemed too harsh. But let me put it this way: I'm not mad at you - I'm mad at Hasbro's shortsightedness. I am a dad brony - my 10 yo son hooked me on it. I have a 3yo daughter who is their target market. Guess what? I buy lots of material and give lots of money for Hasbro. But they only think "duh, immediate profit to be had in the US", and cut our access to Youtube, downloads, the like. So, what shall we do? Be alienated from this fantastic material, that makes a 30yo guy like me BUY PLASTIC PONIES? Sorry, but it is far too stupid for me to digest it properly.
ReplyDeleteFunny. I got the exact same mail sent to me, with a few changes. In my case, Denmark - not Finland.
ReplyDelete@charada13 Just bide your time here, you don't need to see the episodes, just look for summaries if you're unable to see them. Whatever you do though, don't give up, and another thing, you don't need to buy the inaccurate figures. They got my sister's all wrong, Cadence is pink, not her.
ReplyDelete@Princess Luna I repainted them. Much better this way! :)
ReplyDeleteI'll count the dosh as it rolls in, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteGiven my understanding of how complicated legal systems can be, this explanation is more than satisfactory enough for me in regards to this subject.
ReplyDeleteThat's not to say I'm all that happy about it, but at least with this explanation I can feel a little better about it.
@charada13 Yay, nice to hear it. Is my figure accurate, please tell me you have mine...
ReplyDeleteTreehouse TV doesn't know the meanings of "High Definition" and "Season 2." Let's not forget how they've censored lines in FiM for their preschool audience before (example: egghead).
ReplyDeleteSomething tells me we're not going to get them, at least not for an incredibly long period of time. Well, fine, but that means we're all just going to have to be "filthy, rotten piracy-supporters" until we actually have practical legal avenues to view the show the way we want.
If you don't expect it to happen, it just makes it all the sweeter if it does.
@charada13
ReplyDeleteAll I did was restyle all of their hair. Rarity's looks especialy great. I'm proud of it. Haha
I was thinking about getting a second Pinkie so I could makr a Pinkamena. What kind of paints would I need to fix her eyes to look crazy?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@Princess Luna Nope. Never found them here in South America.
ReplyDeleteWill be in the US in June. I'll try to buy her.
@Princess Luna
ReplyDeleteI really need your figure. The only normal sized one I have seen is with the castle set thing. And that's $40...
As soon as they release a figure of you I can afford, I shall throw all my bits into it.
@Sunset Sprinkles Sorry, I only repainted Princess Celestia.
ReplyDeleteLet the speculation begin on which broadcast company in Finland gets the rights. There aren't THAT many to chose from to begin with. Having heard many Finnish dubs of various shows over the years, I'm dreading on what is to come out of this.
ReplyDelete@Insomnia Can't be worse than the Brazilian Portuguese dub. They actually call Rarity "Harrity"!
ReplyDelete@charada13
ReplyDeleteOh, okay. Thanks for reminding me I have to do that though.
@charada13 Good
ReplyDelete@Sunset I have yet to see it, and am I full size or what?
@The Amazing Princess Luna
ReplyDeleteI looked at the new merch in Target last week, and they had you, but in large form and it just didn't look right. I'm just going to have to wait untill your figure's in a set, or by some miracle a solo figure.
Waiting is all we can do for now, that and keep being on Hasbro's heels, since they can forget when they don't care mu-I mean, when they have a lot of stuff going on.
ReplyDeleteMeantime, those who can download, do it. Or YT, whatever.
@Princess Luna
ReplyDeleteYes, I did see another Luna at one point, and sure!
Well, who didn't see that coming. I just hope that - should mlp:fim reach the german itunes - the original english dub will be made avaible in addition the new german voiceover. Though the german dubs have gotten better, they are still a long way off.
ReplyDeleteAlso: I would find it kind of funny if Applejack ended up with a bavarian accent.
"Joa mei, die Äppl müss'n ruanta vom Boum. Kruzifixus!"
that really common, but here are just starting showing the first season. every time all the series are like a year delayed, then wait for the dvd of season one.
ReplyDeleteTHAT F***ING MEANS WAIT 2 YEARS AND LOSE ALL THE NEW EPISODES.
so thats why i have to watch them the "un-supporting" way. and is not solution, all the series do that.
he i am not patience hasbro but atleast i can stick to you tube for now... suck to live outside of the country u born rigth
ReplyDelete3 more years...3 more years
I didn't know Nords worked at Hasbro.
ReplyDeleteNot happy that there's a legal tangle preventing Hasbro from producing DVDs. I mean, seriously, WTF networks?
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I'm very happy that Hasbro, instead of brushing us off, took the time to explain - nicely - why they can't release the episodes outside the US. Maybe I'm naive, but it looks like they do care.
In the meantime, I do hope that Hasbro and the brony community continue to have a positive relationship with each other. It's mutually beneficial, for Hasbro's wallets and our entertainment.
(Note to Google Spellchecker: "Brony" is a word.)
It is sad, but many many people outside the US will have to go the technically illegal way to get to watch the episodes. They like the show the way it was made, so they will watch it.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad, because if it weren't for all the laws and restrictions, they'd make way more money. Economy needs to get freed, boundaries in things like these should be put to an end. Especially because in the end is just money wasted.
I feel bad for foreign bronies, it must suck flank. :( I wish I could kick T.V companies in the hind legs.
ReplyDelete@Travis Smith
ReplyDeleteHere I thought the Shadowbolts were just an illusion I made up. You learn something new everyday.
@Sunset Sprinkles: Luna should definitely consider herself lucky somewhat though, I and the other bad guys didn't get figures at all.
*Chuckles* Though I'd love to see their attempt at a Discord figure, especially when they can't get the ponies right most of the time.
@Xiee Himitsu
ReplyDeleteRead the email, dimwit. Why don't YOU come up with an idea?
@Nightmare Moon
ReplyDeleteI thought the Shadowbolts were an illusion too. It seemed to me Nightmare M- uhh, I mean you, shape shifted into dark facsimiles of the Wonderbolts, dubbing them Shadowbolts.
Of course The Shadowbolts easily could have been formed for real if you had won...
@Nightmare Moon & Jimperator
ReplyDeleteIf NMM had one, I'd be okay with eternal night(wolf howls every night)
I should make something with this, but its much better than the Wonderbolts
I’m glad that they have an idea of releasing the episodes on iTunes where I live, thanks Hasbro you can guarantee a… (I’m not really sure probably at £20 a series) £40 profit from me when they go on iTunes in the UK!
ReplyDelete@Sleepingcobrox Question for you. You ask international fans not to pirate the episodes. That leaves Youtube. Too bad the episodes are being pulled form Youtube too... Where do you propose fans outside the US get their ponies? Cable TV is not an option for many.
ReplyDelete@Rarity
ReplyDeleteIt's what they do outside of Skyrim.
@Travis Smith and Jimerator: They could have, but we know how that turned out, and I'm not willing to risk another attempt and getting banished a 3rd time...or worse, getting turned into stone.
Everything Naughty happens in eternal night. >:D
ReplyDeleteI don't know why Luna would be so sad that the ponies didn't play out in the night. Of course they would do what ponies do at night.
PARTY! Oh wait, Luna would get tired of hearing party music all the time, no wonder she turned evil, all those moans.
@Travis Smith
ReplyDeleteConsidering the Wonderbolts are based on the Blue Angels, I'd say they're pretty cool as-is. But there's just something about the black Shadowbolts that screams awesome.
@Nightmare Moon
What a shame. I have a soft (read; wicked) spot in my heart for seeing the bad guy win at times.
That was written by.. a human who..cares?
ReplyDeleteThe language in that email isn't typical. I'm impressed. hasbro respect point +1
Just don't hate us for wanting it on YouTube. We will buys it when you releases it, promises!
(Also, could combat the fact that in the UK it is released on Freeview shouldn't be a factor but meh..)
I hope you continue to support My Little Pony, illegally. What a bunch of horse manure.
ReplyDelete@Jimperator
ReplyDeleteProbeblly just the amazing color scheme and the name Shadow when used right. I would think they'd be similar to the Flying Tigers of WWII, that's just me
Just to be a pessimist here, from what I can draw from the letter, this means that any hope of further releases outside of US relies on networks like Boomerang, who seem to want to have very little to do with a show.
ReplyDeleteAt least they're acknowledging the plight of those outside of the US
ReplyDelete♪Proud to be an American! Where at least my ponies are free.♪
ReplyDelete@Sleepingcobrox Also, as the creator of My Little Petition, thanks for the plug. I am concerned that the petition is pretty much redundant thanks to this letter, but I will likely go ahead with it anyway in an attempt to measure international support.
ReplyDelete@charada13
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to buy the toys. No one is forcing you to.
If anything can you support the show by buying WeLoveFine merchandise? My understanding is that international bronies are able to buy the shirts from where they live...
@Sterling
ReplyDeleteI've learned from personal experience that petitions are always cute but are rarely effective. They'll appereciate it, but no company will ever make a decision that will cause them to lose money, especially if its through potential legal trouble.
@GenericNoun
ReplyDeleteOf course, I know and appreciate that. I wouldn't expect Hasbro to make hefty decisions purely because of some people signing an online petition. The point of it was always primarily to try and show just how much international support the show has, and even a rough map of the number of overseas fans who would buy it if possible.
@Sterling
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I cannot answer your question about where international bronies can watch the episodes should Youtube be forced to remove the episodes under Hasbro's laws due to copyright and broadcasting reasons.
Also I hope your petition will have an impact for the brony community. Don't give up your plan on setting up the petition. All the internation bronies are counting on you and you have my full support behind it.
Asking them to not pirate the episodes would be too much for me to ask for. But we all should be glad that Hasbro is listening to us. Most companies I believe would not inform us about reasons like this.
And Seth if you're still reading the comments, why don't you plug the twitter account @MLPetition? This should benefit the international bronies.
I'm glad that the comments here are very rational and full of discussion. I really cannot wait for Bronyville to have a discussion about this. Or perhaps the next Q&Neigh Cereal?
ReplyDeleteI have to take a moment and thank all US bronies with your understanding and support with this issue. It nice to read comments here from those living within US voicing their support.
ReplyDeleteNow, I wish there were a way to easily resolve this. But as it seems the situation may be much grimmer than it first appeared to me. While I can say I understand (partially) why this legal problem exists, it does not mean I will stand idly by it... And I do not understand the purpose of a "holdback" period at all.
We get pretty much all movies and games at the same time as NA, sometimes with only few days apart maybe even a month (more rarer occasion) and rarely actually before NA (even rarer occasion) and I can easily wait that much easy.
But them we move to the Twilight Zone (heh)With the TV shows. For example; only now almost year later we finally got the Game Of Thrones TV which sucks. But with another example: some shows we'll get them only few weeks later after their US airdate. At best I think we were when the LOST was still airing, we got the newest episodes within 6 days!!! And that lag I think was only because they were making the subtitles.
It really baffles my mind.
@Travis Smith
ReplyDeleteFlying Tigers were awesome. But They were a volunteer squadron who actually fought. Each plane was painted individually as was the custom back then too.
Blue Angels were started entirely to be a demonstration/show squadron. And as such their planes are uniform. Wonderbolts seem to be for stunt ponies mostly, so they share those similarities.
@Jimperator
ReplyDeleteHeh, don't worry, you're not alone, I'm sure a few of us here do as well, but not to surprising that didn't happen here.
*sigh* I really wish MLP:FiM aired on a different channel than Treehouse in Canada. YTV or Teletoon wouldn't be too bad; they wouldn't censor the episodes. Maybe we can get Season 2 as well. -.-;
ReplyDeleteOkay, you don't have a deal inked with any Finnish network, so there should be nothing holding you back from releasing the series on DVD/iTunes in Finland, right?
ReplyDeleteWhile disappointing, this is not surprising.
ReplyDeleteRecently, there's been a push for bringing TV to non-TV devices such as the IPTV services on Xbox and lots of US cable providers are creating apps for the iPad and other tablets for viewing select channels on tablets. The cable providers have been asked about why not every channel is available for these apps and the Xbox, and they provided the same reason: it's in the contracts. The cable providers and TV channels have contracts that are specific to the point that they almost literally say "this channel will only be viewable on this cable service's cable box" or things to that effect. TV shows, TV channels, and cable providers just write some very specific contracts, simply put.
Yeah, it's somewhat backwards from our point of view, but for the sake of writing an airtight contract, it should be at least understandable.
@R10t Pol1ce
ReplyDeleteFuture deals are always possible.
@Saxm13I know that feel, brony. It barely comes on on Treehouse TV anymore. Not even the commercials. I wanna start drawing fanart, some day... That would keep my mind off of the episode
ReplyDeleteWait times.
Assuming from the fact that Season 1 is currently airing in Australia, I hope that at least means they won't forget to give us DvD's.
ReplyDelete@R10t Pol1ce Just because they do not have a deal with a Finnish network, does not mean another regional network is holding it back. As from a business standpoint, why allow something to get released in a close neighboring country before you can release it.
ReplyDeleteI would not agree with a company doing something like that, but I can very easily see a company doing exactly that.
To non-US bronies I would say buy it when you get the chance, until then...yar har fiddle de dee.
ReplyDeleteWere I in that predicament, my attitude would be "Sorry you made short sighted deals that favor dying media formats, but I'm going to continue getting episodes from youtube and producing fan content as part of the community to continue globally advertising your products and making them insanely popular and profitable. You're welcome."
Why even bother blacking out the names? we're present and former members of 4chan.
ReplyDeleteHanne Friis Olsen Nordic Senior Brand Manager - Games & My Little Pony
Also, Google. That made it pretty easy.
But the important question is, will we have a box set with special added features LIKE EPIC CUPCAKE TIME
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing. I saw *blank* Nordic Senior Brand Manager and it's like, how many Nordic Senior Brand Managers does a company normally have?
ReplyDelete@Parutarusaya
ReplyDeleteI'd hope for commentary, especially if they could get de Lancie to do commentary.
This is awesome news! I was just thinking that the reasoning behind the lack of international downloads had something to do with legal matters, and this not only verifies that, but also states flat-out that Hasbro intends to make international downloads available soon after it is legally possible to do so!
ReplyDeleteGranted, I'm in the US and thus am able to obtain episodes through iTunes, but it PROVES that Hasbro cares about non-US fans, and should help with the unjustified Hasbro-hate.
@WhatPayne
ReplyDelete"And I do not understand the purpose of a "holdback" period at all."
The holdback is so the TV companies can benefit from the shows they've bought. If you knew that an episode would be available for download 24 hours after it was shown on a TV channel you don't have, what incentive would you have for arranging to get the TV channel?
I can see Hasbro's point here - I made the same point a few days ago - and I don't think it's fair for people to criticise them for the fact that the show has turned out to be far more popular than they expected. Had it been the sort of show they expected it to be then releasing it slowly and in stages would have been the right approach, partly because they wouldn't have wanted to spend much time and money on something that wasn't expected to generate much interest in itself and partly because nobody in the audience would even notice the delay. If they had known in advance that they'd have something close to the next Harry Potter then they'd have done things differently, but they didn't know and now they're stuck with contracts that were arranged long before the first episode aired.
I'm sure they'd love to be able to satisfy the demand for the show immediately. They've been on the Internet a lot longer than most of you and know full well that the interest in the show could start to fall at any time and that they are going to lose some sales by not meeting the demand while the popularity of the show is at its highest. But it costs a lot to break a contract and it would jeopardise their relationships with the TV channels for years into the future if they treated other companies that way. It's not something they can do if they want to stay in business.
At least now we know there's hope for those of us outside the US. I can put up with my heavily watermarked ponies if I know there'll be a chance to replace them with high quality paid-for ponies in the future.
This is good news indeed.
ReplyDeleteIt is almost a confirmation that they will be released over here; as they said, it's just a case of being patient. Patience is a virtue, after all.
I love this show and its fanbase, and I can tolerate the wait to obtain it legally.
They're probably kicking themselves now for having signed contracts back then that are limiting their ability to make more profit now.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way of things I suppose; people who do things legally are punished.
ReplyDeleteI kinda figured as much. However I'm guessing something will eventually come along and ponies are well worth the wait.
ReplyDeleteno need to be patient, just keep uploading them to youtube until they come out else where and there is already a few PA replacement sites around :P
ReplyDeleteWe really can't blame Hasbro. They are not stupid nor cynical.
ReplyDeleteRemember that the main target of the show are little kids. And most of them know the show from the TV, not the Internet. The pony toys advertised there are the main source of revenue for Hasbro and these ads - for the network.
Hasbro coexists with the networks which distribute their shows. They can't screw with them.
Hasbro even started their own TV channel - the Hub - to be indenpendent of third-party networks (I think so). But the Hub only aires in the U. S. for now. Maybe in the future, this channel will be localized in another countries and Hasbro will be able to distribute their shows more freely.
All petitions about the distribution must go to the distributors in each country. It's no use to flood Hasbro with them. Their hands are legally tied.
For time being, we must content ourselves with YT or torrent or whatever else.
@Saxm13. Treehouse play's MLP episode's ounce a week. Witch is kinda funy when ratings show it to be there highest rated show.
ReplyDeleteI hope the new DVD will be released in Scandinavia.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand this legal text they've written to be applied to countries they've already sold their rights to, but how come I don't have any legal option to watch the show over the internet neither by watching it in the TV.
ReplyDeleteI'm okay with this: patience is one of my most practiced virtues.
ReplyDeleteMaybe us Aussie bronies should petition ABC3 to pick up MLP? They suprised me by showing Avengers:EMH just months after it aired in the US, so maybe they'll do the same here?
ReplyDeleteThe commercial networks seem pretty unlikely to show MLP at this point. Unless by some miracle it somehow gets noticed as doing 'well' on the cable network it's currently aired on.
I thought it may have had to do something with that. Oh well will carry on watching the episodes on YouTube until they can release it officially.
ReplyDeleteI fear that when (or if) we got a DVD release where I live it won't contain the original language - but I guess that will have to wait some time, since the channel that apparently have the rights to the show here haven't begun showing it yet...
ReplyDeleteSo basically, outdated, pre-internet-style distribution contracts are costing them money by rendering them unable to respond to a commercial opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI hope they learn the lesson.
I hope the lesson they learn isn't "don't make good tv shows, they only show up problems with our antiquated business model".
But yeah, I guess they're stuck in a situation where piracy is literally the only way a large portion of their willing-to-pay fanbase can get content. Or the silly dance to buy from us-itunes.
Can't contracts be renegotiated?
And yeah i did the silly dance to buy from us-itunes, to ensure my supply of pony as other sources disappear or become uncertain. But it doesn't stop it being silly, and of course it subtracts from a future uk-itunes sales figure.
ReplyDeleteIt is odd; I've never been a regular downloader, preferring itunes or rent or purchase of dvds and blurays, but I've also never felt so motivated to monetarily support a show i liked before, and now it's happened, it's weirdly made so difficult for me to do so.
I guess, also, it may be the first time i've come across a show I liked that much that seemed to *need* such an expression of support. It has a kind of fragility about it, *because* we're not the target market I suppose, *because* it's always been so proverbially awful, and they *should* be rewarded for making it good...
It's bad business to limit your market like they've done.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK MLP airs on pay TV. Half the people in the UK have free-to-air TV, they'd have to buy new technology and then subscribe in order to watch MLP legally. None of which would benefit Hasbro directly.
Hasbro could have sold us those episodes direct, making a profit on each and demonstrating the value of the show to TV channels. They'd probably have got a free-to-air channel interested despite the presence of downloads and DVD's and would have ended up with twice the exposure they currently have.
Yes, in the UK for instance, I have Freesat. The minimum sky contract I'd need to get Boomerang is £20/month. For that, to get just season 1 episodes 1-13 on endless repeat, in standard definition with adverts in an ntsc->pal conversion. yeah, not a value proposition.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Canada as well, and of course Treehouse carries MLP, and that is all. As others have noted, it shares airing with Dora the explorer, Thomas the tank engine, Teletubbies and other preschool shows.
ReplyDeleteNot that these shows don't belong, treehouse has always been about these age-range of shows. But MLP is the odd show out in this case, for sure. As far as I know, they only ever show up to the 1st half of season 1 anyways.
YTV would be a much better choice, or Teletoon (american channel we get).
Anyways, it must be killing Hasbro that they are forcing so many potential buyers into piracy, where they get nothing. I sure hope a solution happens soon. The world is getting smaller and smaller, and its time to tear down these ridiculous legal borders.
Sorry Hasbro, but until the lawmakers and rights rulers realise that we are indeed living in an internet age, the 21st century, and learn to change with the times, I refuse to wait months, sometimes years, just to watch shows on my television.
ReplyDeleteUntil Hasbro lets me buy the episodes from them day and date they're released on US tv, then we're at a stalemate.
Televsion businessmen need to stop living in the 80's.
@Ceorlic
ReplyDeleteHasbro probably got the best deal they could get at the time. Chances are that none of the free-to-air channels wanted MLP:FiM, so they'd have sold the series on the best terms available to them. Boomerang offered the best terms. They may have been the only ones to take up the offer at all. We don't know, but we have to assume that Hasbro chose Boomerang for a reason.
@everyone
Hasbro isn't run by idiots. They know their business, they've been trading on the Internet for at least 15 years, and they have far more information available to them than anyone here does. Does anyone here honestly think they understand Hasbro's business better than Hasbro does?
As long as we can watch the show anyway I don't mind. I'll definetally buy it when it comes out though.
ReplyDeleteI also slowly start to dislike many of the agreements and systems that big old companies work with. I hope it's worth it, and that a part of the money Hasbro gets from doing that supports the show!
So, they can't sell the episodes until Treehouse airs them (in Canada). Treehouse STILL hasn't started airing season 2, which seemingly nobody outside the US is.
ReplyDeleteThus, with how this is going it'll never be possible to buy season 2 in Canada. And then these people wonder why we turn to Youtube and torrents?
@the-matthew
ReplyDeleteYes, actually. It's been show time and again that corporations don't "get" the Internet, especially big ones. The games industry completely botched handling piracy in Russia for a decade until Valve took the (at the time) insane step of actually selling stuff at the same time rather then on a six month delay. Sales shot up and piracy went down.
People will buy stuff if you sell it, who knew?
This is the same type of nonsense. The only way to watch season 2 outside the US is torrents and Youtube. People aren't showing it, and Hasbro isn't selling it. Then they whine about piracy of the episodes.
What the **** did they think was going to happen? If their partners in other countries aren't doing their part, maybe its time for Hasbro to start doing something about it instead of blaming fans.
It's not quite as simple as selling everywhere at the same time, unfortunately.
DeleteDifferent products require different strategies, and although a near-simultaneous worldwide release makes sense for some products there are additional costs and overheads involved in doing that, and it's only worth paying those costs if something is expected to be popular and have strong word-of-mouth sales. For something that's predicted to make a marginal profit at best a staggered release saves money and is more efficient. Hasbro probably expected that most of the world would never even notice their unassuming little show was there and certainly not discuss it, and I don't think anyone can credibly claim that they should have anticipated and planned for the Brony market. This is very much an exceptional situation for them.
On top of that, MLP:FiM is not a standalone product. Hasbro has to consider not just the popularity of the show itself but also their ability to meet the demand for toys that it will generate. Their capacity for manufacturing MLP toys is limited and can't easily be altered, so they need to balance their desire to sell the show itself with their desire to sell the associated products. Distribute the show slowly and they risk losing the momentum it has gained. Distribute it quickly and they risk being unable to meet the resulting demand for the toys. They have to find a compromise that best suits the needs of the entire business, and getting the toy sales wrong will hurt them a lot more than getting the FiM sales wrong. FiM is not the primary product.
There is no one-size-fits-all-products-and-all-markets strategy for Internet commerce. It's easy to use the benefit of hindsight to say what Hasbro should have done, but had the actual audience been the expected one of prepubescent girls then a simultaneous worldwide release would have been the wrong strategy and the additional costs and manufacturing limitations could well have wiped out any profits that might have been gained from the advertising. Taking everything into account Hasbro may not have made the best of all possible decisions, but in the absence of any ability to see the future the decision they did make was far from unreasonable.
I'm no happier about the situation than any other non-US fan of the show, but I understand why the situation is what it is and why, in the absence of a time machine, it couldn't really have been any different. There are no easy answers.
@TechnoTrot
ReplyDeleteActually I sent the e-mail (of wich we have this reply) to Hasbro, and tried to contact US department. Unfortunately it went to Finland department instead, or got stopped there, wich got directed to her.
(the mail was lenghty, slightly rambling and polite)
It is of little importance however who gets the credits of being the messenger, and besides there seems to be more than few mail bearers around anyway. As long as we are on the loop everything's okay.
Or as long as the messenger(s) doesn't get shot that is. :b
Anyhow, what really dreads me, is that Hasbro is currently making a contract (or contracts) with Finnish companies, wich means that they are probably doing same all around Scandinavia. If they follow the pattern they have followed so far, it is only dubbed ponies to us.
Horrible, horrible dubs...
I hope that the DVD/Blue-ray packets will have English as an language option in them, if and when they land 10 years later here.
In ten years time will we care? Right now we'd pay $50 for the bluray boxset. in ten years time it'll need to be heavily discounted i expect
ReplyDeleteThat's what we call a missed commercial opportunity. Someone ought to be losing their job. They're paralysed from exploiting an opportunity because of being trapped into bad contracts unsuited to the modern age.
ReplyDeleteOTOH I see MLP is at 182 in the itunes episode charts. So maybe they're right. We're nothing, because we don't buy.
ReplyDeleteWait, why is the name of the manager redacted? Isn't that public information?
ReplyDelete@the-matthew
ReplyDeleteWell thanks for the clarification. That explains a bunch... Altrough as of why one would agree to such deal in such manner on the first place escapes me.
And still. I get the reason of wanting to have "the dibs" for a show. But it's been well over an year already with nothing in sight. The show is popular but no-one seems to be in any hurry to bring the episodes out.
Aaaaaaaaand THIS is why I hate the fact that Hasbro is actually taking down the YT episodes.
ReplyDeleteBUILD BEFORE DESTROYING, GUYS.
*facepalm*
Respect for Hasbro is starting to grow.
ReplyDeleteSurely it would have made better sense for Hasbro and Discovery to launch The Hub worldwide (especially since it replaced Discovery Kids, which did have a worldwide presence), rather than get into an absolute rights mess that we've got and be well behind the US?
ReplyDelete