Where are my DVD extras?

If I get extremely fanatical about a book or television program, I generally want to get my hands on as much extra and exclusive content as possible. Whether it be a written letter from one character to another or video diaries recorded by cast members - I want to read it, see it, and get all the feels. That is the life of a fan.

At the moment, I'm currently experiencing a post-Merlin depression (yes I know it's been over a month since it ended but I'm trying to pretend that that didn't happen). If you're a Merlin fan and have stuck with the show despite its sloppy and repetitive plots (it's still good shhh) then you may be aware of such glorious content as the cast's video diaries. From singing to pranks, and an extraordinary amount of sarcasm - the antics that the crew gets up to is hilarious. However, I would never have seen any of this unless the kind people of the internet uploaded copies of them onto YouTube because ~wait for it~ they aren't available on the DVD version that is for my region. In other words, if I'm not apart of the domestic market then my worth as a viewer is significantly decreased.



Considering that most of the content I engage with is from either America or the United Kingdom, it is consistently irritating to discover that exclusive content is only available in the country of origin. This applies to both DVD box sets and extra online content (let alone the extraordinarily long delays between the day a program airs overseas and the day it airs here). It seems to appear that fans outside the immediate domestic market are invalid or not worth making the extra effort to provide the same exclusives. Even though I am aware that Australia is probably considered a small market and that content producers would be unlikely to make an overwhelming profit here - when we unite online we are still fans. We are still fans that want to connect with the same information that people in other countries are able to access. We are still fans that care about the development of the story-line and the characters. We are still fans that want to be valued and respected as consumers. And yet we consistently have barriers put in front of us to tell us otherwise.

I haven't even explored digital piracy in this post (a whole other topic), but my point is that we deserve to be respected as an audience. So, we may be outside the US or the UK, but that doesn't mean that people don't want to engage with the same material. I want to be able to visit the local shops and know that the DVD box set that I pick up has the same stuff that is being offered overseas.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Comment below or tweet me @faultystairs :)