Why do cable and TV have watermarks on their programming?
When I first got Cable TV I noted that most programs had an intrusive logo on the top or bottom corners that distract from the movie watching. In time I canceled my subscription as I didn't see why I should pay for programming when I can see it logo free on TV.
Then..
About 10 or so years ago, well at least in my country, TV stations started doing the same thing by adding these intrusive logos to the programming. To me its a form of vandalism and can spoil a movie. Especially when there is a dark scene and you see their logo blaring on the screen.
For paid TV I cannot understand, for TV I can sort of see a reason as we started to get DVD recorders and the resolution of the programming the TV stations were sending are at a fairly high quality, so piracy was a possibility.
But for a paid service like Foxtel (Australian Cable Provider) to charge $100 a month with this on the screen I think is loosing them business.
So the question I have, is there some rule/regulation from the content providers that say when broadcasting on TV they have to add a station logo?
Best Answer
Is there some rule/regulation from the content providers that say when broadcasting on TV they have to add a station logo?
Only because they've bought / recorded / invested their own money for the broadcasting program. It's a copyright. What will they do, if you record their program and broadcast on your own, or just sell it somewhere? (similar to plagiarizing). Other than their logo, the stations also use some kind of watermark in their channels that can be easily noted if you closely look into it. It is much visible if you record the event. This wiki article is good.
Pictures about "Why do cable and TV have watermarks on their programming?"
What is a watermark on a TV show?
Watermarking & Television Watermarking consists of inserting an audio tag that is inaudible to the human ear into the programmes of television channels. This tag, known as a watermark, identifies the channel broadcasting the tagged programme in addition to the date and time of broadcast.What is a channel bug?
A digital on-screen graphic, digitally originated graphic (DOG, bug, or network bug) is a watermark-like station logo that most television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen area of their programs to identify the channel.What are the numbers we see on TV screen?
The seemingly random set of numbers that appears in a corner of the television screen are a part of anti-piracy measures taken by channels. The number you see on your screen is one that is generated uniquely for your region using an algorithm by the channel.Why Isn't Cable TV In 4K?
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