In an age when we can easily broadcast video just about anywhere in the world for not much more money than sending the signal down the street it's time that the current exclusive deals with the networks of the 200+ nations of the earth needs to come to an end.
I'm not saying for free, everyone gets to make money. There are multiple ways to make money while eyeballs watch content. There is the iTunes method of selling seasons or episodes. There is the netflix method of selling a service which includes a vast library of included content. There is the Hulu method of selling access on TVs to a then ad supported content stream (much like cable TV) and then there is the network website of ad supported content freely available. It's time the internet becomes the defacto delivery method to the home in contracts with content companies with the proviso that networks still can own exclusive rights to traditional methods outside of internet delivery. Heck, they could even show it on their own network websites.
It won't be easy. There are no true world wide entertainment networks. There is no world wide cable company. There are many existing contracts.
To make it happen would be a game of chicken. A popular show, content maker or premium network would have to say ENOUGH and then gamble big. A company like HBO is best positioned to do this first but risks alienating cable providers and studios, and at the moment I'm betting their contracts won't allow it.
Until then entertainment will slowly traverse the globe while citizens can with relative ease move about the globe.
