It's not exactly a new phenomenon. In addition to obvious British stuff like Sherlock and The IT Crowd, I also resorted to underhanded techniques to watch the first season of the remade Battlestar Galactica series, as it was released in the UK several months before the US.
I had abandoned TV long ago. I had no idea I was seeing the 1st season of BSG months ahead of everyone else, because most people I knew who were watching it were also torrenting it.
