This isn’t really an NHS thing or an actual hospital thing, I don’t really have much I can say on those things but this is more about the entertainment industry told through three hospitals:
- Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital
- St. Denis Medical Centre
- Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital
These are hospitals used in the shows Greys Anatomy, St. Denis Medical and The Pitt and each in some way has been successful with one being the longest running medical drama, the other noted for its realism in an American emergency room and the other a genuinely funny show.
Well, I have been told it is a genuinely funny show, each of these suffers from an issue where being out of the United States the accessibility of them is different and not that immediate.
A long time ago there used to be the case where the UK on one of the main terrestrial channels and maybe the fledgling Sky One on cable and satellite would get a show a few months after it had originally been broadcast but that wasn’t an issue we would discuss what had happen in the confines of work and a bubble without really looking at what happens unless you read certain magazines, we were behind but pretty unknowingly so.
Since the advent of the internet Web 2.0 or as it is called now the cesspit of social media has allowed a more worldwide discussion point where things are available immediately including clips however there are no ways you can watch the show.
The problem is that each of these is delayed for some reason and let’s get into that:
Delay of a set period of time
For Greys Anatomy this is currently broadcast on Disney+ in the UK a paid for streaming service which has increased in price from very reasonable — who’s hat now belongs to Apple TV — to a bit expensive and possibly poor value for money.
The delay on this is about a week, during which time there are clips, synopsis and discussion on the show where spoilers could be shown in that week. It’s a bit frustrating but at least you know where you are on it and can see it.
Holding the rights hostage
This is where the rights to the show has been sold but unfortunately it isn’t being broadcast and as time goes on shows get broadcast and you can’t watch it but know someone owns it.
This is the case with St Denis Medical where the rights have been purchased by BBC and technically anyone who has a TV licence should be able to watch it but it hasn’t been scheduled or put on player because they are broadcasting (checks TV guide) Digging for Britain.
There is no way to watch the show, you pay for the service that owns the rights to show it but there is no way to know when you can watch it, and speaking of that
In Limbo
There are the cases where technically no-one holds the rights yet, Sky has an agreement with HBO to shows broadcast there but this doesn’t include Max original content to which The Pitt is one of these. Sky has reached a deal with Max where it will be included with Sky Subscriptions when Max launches but there is no date on that and unlike The last of Us you can’t watch it the same day as it broadcasts in America.
The ethics of piracy
This is where the ethics of piracy comes up, let’s say you are a TV licence holder, who has a Disney+ subscription and a Sky Subscription, ethically can you download these shows from alternate sources in order to not actually be left behind people on social media and having spoilers be shown? I do think ethically it is fine, you would just be time adjusting what your subscription does however it also opens up piracy as something which is more prevalent.
I am not going to go into the whole proliferation of streaming services, that is an option for another day but I feel if you subscribe to a service where a show will, or rumoured will, show then you do kinda have a legitimate excuse for being able to watch it.
All three shows are great in different ways, and I do recommend watching them when you can, especially The Pitt.