High licensing costs are one of the many reasons that many former television shows are unable to be reproduced as DVDs.  Shows that are actually released on DVD often edit the language or change the music, in order to abide by specific copyright laws.  “And some shows, like WKRP [in Cincinnati], which is full of music, will probably never make it to DVD because of high licensing cost.”  Not only are some shows not even able to reach the DVD format, but those that do are often different than the originals. In these cases, the fans of certain television shows are disheartened and upset.  “The fans don’t want syndicated cuts. They don’t want the songs replaced.  They don’t want anything censored for political correctness.  They want to see it in the way they originally saw it broadcast, enjoyed it, and fell in love with.” Some shows have been released in full in other countries, and only limitedly in the United States, due to a difference in licensing fees.  For example, “only selected episodes from the first season of Ally McBeal had been released in the United States because of the high cost of music licensing. But in the United Kingdom, where different licensing deals have been struck, viewers can order all five seasons.” 

In some instances, fans are willing to wait long periods of until the studios strike a deal and the television shows are eventually released.  However, other fans are neither willing to wait nor pay the money for a show that has been altered from the original.  Similarly, some producers do not want their shows reproduced differently than the originals.  Since fans are unable or unwilling to legally purchase original copies of their favorite television shows, some have taken to finding and downloading them illegally.  As a result, many copyright laws and infringement cases have erected.  The technology of the Internet moves at a much faster pace than many of these current laws; therefore, since fans have take to finding alternative means of watching currently syndicated or previously cancelled television shows, copyright officials must find ways to stop them.