[mythtv-users] Supporting schedulesdirect.org

[Tom Dexter]

>From: "Robert Current"
>
>Is this true:  The real problem is there are 1000's of individual
>stations (mostly locals?) that have no standard form of listing the
>shows they are going to play...  Even though they are trying to get
>the word out.  But the problem is the intermediates who gather all
>that data, and compile it into a single listing source claim it to be
>their property, un-redistributable (even if they got the info from
>free sources)?
>

The underlying data may in fact be 'free' in that it's available from 
somewhere for free.  However the really valuable data TMS sells is the 
organization of those listings for all those 1000's of markets, and I'm 
afraid the legality of that holds up.  Nothing is preventing anyone else 
from doing the same...they just have to convince all the TV stations to use 
it.

I'm sure that, in a perfect world, the stations would much rather have their 
listings freely available...it's advertising for them after all.  They'd 
also rather not pay TMS (which I believe they do) to have those listings 
available.  They could all get together and do it themselves, and offer 
listings for free, but it simply doesn't gain them enough to bother at this 
point.  Unless that changes TMS and TVGuide will be the only reliable 
sources of this data.

Tom

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