More NBC Content On the Way?

[LimeiBook86]

Haha, now that ABC and NBC have joined others like FOX and CBS will sort of be "forced to". I would love to a see a nice collection of cartoon shows. If Cartoon Network and Fox released their top shows, I'd see this thing kicking off big-time. Then you download your favorite shows, show them on your new intel Mac Mini DVR on your TV. I can see this happening, I would love this to happen...*counts money*, almost there!

 

[Multimedia]

$1.99 Seems Steep

I think $1.99 for shows is too much money. 99¢ each seems like more reasonable. These shows are relatively low resolution 320 x 240 right? Why should they cost 2 bucks?

 

[artifex]

If you miss en episode, without iTunes, that's it. Watch the rest of the season despite having missed something important, or just stop watching your show--until you can (if ever) rent it on DVD and get caught up. Which would mean renting the one you missed AND all the rest of the season--much more than $1.99. And is the DVD (if any) out before the NEXT season, or are you out of luck for all time with no way to get caught up? (A worry with ongoing series like Lost and Galactica more than with other kinds--but the dilemma exists to some extent for any series.)

Dilemma solved with iTunes. $1.99.

Yah, whatever, in my house dilemma solved with ReplayTV, and people who will send shows from theirs to mine
In full size, too.

 

[ifjake]

these shows seemed to be geared towards mainly use on the iPod. the resolution thing is for the same reason that they aren't selling AIFFs on iTMS: file size. they're encouraging people to build up TV show collections, and the majority of computer users don't have a media server; these things are all going to go on people's computer hard drives, and especially the hard drives of the iPod, which don't go any higher than 60GB. if you want people to buy lots of movies, then you have to make sure they can buy lots of movies.

anyway, they should open this up to Europe. Knight Rider would sell like hotcakes in Germany. something about Hasselhoff.

 

[m-dogg]

Any idea if Apple foots the bandwidth bill for all these video downloads? I think costs are deferred with the studios based on amount of traffic. I'd like to sell my own videos on the iTMS, and Apple may pave the way for independent producers.

Hmmm...what kind of videos do you make Lacero? And how do you find the time to produce them when you're always posting on MR?

 

[~Shard~]

Hmmm...what kind of videos do you make Lacero? And how do you find the time to produce them when you're always posting on MR?

She's very good at multitasking, as a few of us others are as well...

 

[ccperkdog]

NBC, The Office and Apple

I wonder if this weeks episode of The Office, "Christmas Party" was intentionally centered around a new video iPod, as a cross marketing campaign? The tuesday timing seems too perfect and I lost count of how many times 'iPod' was mentioned. Heck, they even got the price in script! Did Apple pay for this product placement? If so, that goes to show the power of their influence and reach, a whole 30 minute sitcom script. Very funny episode which I highly recommend for download from the iTMS at the very low price of $1.99

An aside, it is too funny to see all these shows where the characters are obviously using Powerbooks (ie. Boston Legal) but the glowing logo is covered over with cheap gaffers tape. Just an observation.

 

[iSee]

So, *is* $1.99 the right price?

I have a confession to make:

I bought all of last season of Lost from iTunes, and I've been buying each new episode since--except the last one. I must've spent almost $60 so far (the 1st season as a package cost something less than $1.99 per episode). My wife and I had (somehow) missed the show last year until the season finale, which got us totally hooked. This year she works late on Wednesdays, so iTunes has been really conveinent. But...

The cost is really starting to bug me. I finally got my act together and I'm recording the show now. In the end iTunes TV was a fad for me. Ultimately it turns out that I'm not willing to spend $1.99 to see Lost, even though my wife and I are as addicted to it as we could possibly be.

Now, I *love* The Office, and I really like Law and Order and I've missed a few episodes of each. But I have no urge to pay $1.99 to see the episodes I missed. I'll catch them on reruns, or perhaps I'll never see them.

When the TV content came out I couldn't really decide if $1.99 was the right price or not. With music, it was fairly easy to compare $.99 to the cost of an album, consider that you didn't get any filler tracks, and conclude that .99 was a good price. With the TV shows I just wasn't sure.

Now I'm thinking that 1.99 is just too much. Not that there aren't circumstances where I'd be willing to pay it. But it seems to me to relegate iTunes TV content to a niche market. Or to put it simply: iTunes is the first place I look to buy music, but the last place I'll go to get TV content--because of the price. And many others, I'm guessing, will feel the same way.

Does anyone know what the average TV show generates in ad revenue per showing per household? Maybe that would be a better basis for pricing shows, since the producers and distributors of the show would be able to get paid what they are used to being paid for a show. So if a show generated .30 in ad revenue per showing per household, iTunes might charge .60 for an episode (Apple's gotta get paid too, ya know). The revenue per showing per household should be fairly flat across shows since ad prices are based on viwership numbers.

OK, I'm probably thinking too much about this. But 1.99 seems too high to me.

 

[ifjake]

Apple and product placement is interesting. Really, there aren't any other machines that look as good. I've seen old G4 iMacs still in shows if only because they look slick. they might want to be careful with the iPod though. people could be getting a little tired of hearing about it.

 

[andiwm2003]

Now I'm thinking that 1.99 is just too much. Not that there aren't circumstances where I'd be willing to pay it. But it seems to me to relegate iTunes TV content to a niche market. Or to put it simply: iTunes is the first place I look to buy music, but the last place I'll go to get TV content--because of the price. And many others, I'm guessing, will feel the same way.

Does anyone know what the average TV show generates in ad revenue per showing per household? Maybe that would be a better basis for pricing shows, since the producers and distributors of the show would be able to get paid what they are used to being paid for a show. So if a show generated .30 in ad revenue per showing per household, iTunes might charge .60 for an episode (Apple's gotta get paid too, ya know). The revenue per showing per household should be fairly flat across shows since ad prices are based on viwership numbers.

OK, I'm probably thinking too much about this. But 1.99 seems too high to me.

i'm ok with the 1.99. it's just the sweet spot. i won't download many shows but i'm traveling often and so i'm missing episodes. since i'm not home i also can't record them (without buying a tivo or so). so once in a while ordering a episode of galactica is what i'm going to do. and then 2 bucks is ok.

 

[Porchland]

Haha, now that ABC and NBC have joined others like FOX and CBS will sort of be "forced to". I would love to a see a nice collection of cartoon shows. If Cartoon Network and Fox released their top shows, I'd see this thing kicking off big-time. Then you download your favorite shows, show them on your new intel Mac Mini DVR on your TV. I can see this happening, I would love this to happen...*counts money*, almost there!

And I don't think Apple is going to offend any of them by coming out with a DVR that will allow you to transfer programming to an iPod, computer or any other device.

Before the ABC announcement, a lot of people still expected that any forthcoming Mac mini media center would be a DVR. Apple figured out that it makes more sense to control the content than sell glorified tape recorders. Brilliant move. A Mac mini media center could be a DVR/Tivo killer without recording a single show.

The model isn't the VCR; it's iTunes. And it would be better than pay-per-view (or at least Comcast On Demand, which is the only pay-per-view I have used), which is slow and has a bad UI.

I wouldn't say the networks were in trouble yet, but their function as content providers is about to get more important and their function as a broadcasters less.

Wait until an established producer who has previoulsy produced shows for television through Warner or Paramount signs a 3-year first-look deal to produce shows for Apple. NBC, ABC, etc., will think they've been hit by a neutron bomb. (Makes me wonder if Apple had to agree NOT to provide it's own content to get the nets on board and whether they've had to make this same deal with the record labels.)

 

[GregA]

Does anyone know what the average TV show generates in ad revenue per showing per household? Maybe that would be a better basis for pricing shows, since the producers and distributors of the show would be able to get paid what they are used to being paid for a show. So if a show generated .30 in ad revenue per showing per household, iTunes might charge .60 for an episode (Apple's gotta get paid too, ya know).

I'd be interested in that too.

You don't have to add to the .30 charge though - whatever the revenue is, it also pays for the local channel and transmitters etc, the rest goes to the show producers.

 

[iMeowbot]

Does anyone know what the average TV show generates in ad revenue per showing per household?

For popular network TV shows, in the neighborhood of 30-50¢ per viewer-hour.

 

[GregA]

For popular network TV shows, in the neighborhood of 30-50¢ per viewer-hour.

Thanks iMeowbot. Do you know if that's the value to the producers selling the program to a channel, or to the channel itself (ie. does 50c/viewer/hr pay for their transmission costs)?

 

[iSee]

i'm ok with the 1.99. it's just the sweet spot. i won't download many shows but i'm traveling often and so i'm missing episodes. since i'm not home i also can't record them (without buying a tivo or so). so once in a while ordering a episode of galactica is what i'm going to do. and then 2 bucks is ok.

OK, $1.99 is the sweet spot for occasional download--for special circumstances. But what is the price point where iTunes becomes your primary method for getting TV content? I know iTunes needs more shows for that to happen anyway, but that seems to be working itself out. I'm worried that iTunes is going to lock itself in to a dead-end pricing model.

I'm guessing something on par with the ad revenue (.30 - .50 / viewer hour someone mentioned) might do it.

I guess I'm just looking for a way to dump my cable company for good...

 

[Sunrunner]

OK, $1.99 is the sweet spot for occasional download--for special circumstances. But what is the price point where iTunes becomes your primary method for getting TV content? I know iTunes needs more shows for that to happen anyway, but that seems to be working itself out. I'm worried that iTunes is going to lock itself in to a dead-end pricing model.

I'm guessing something on par with the ad revenue (.30 - .50 / viewer hour someone mentioned) might do it.

I guess I'm just looking for a way to dump my cable company for good...

Mark my words, iTunes prices wont go up overall, instead the main thrust will be the incorporation of ad time into each file. The big future battle will be "how much ad time is too much ad time".

 

[Sunrunner]

Not to insult any of the people posting that X show needs to be added because they like it, I have a feeling that TV ratings will determine what needs to be added. Given that, I'm surprised that Grey's Anatomy hasn't been added. I would expect the studios to want to add the most popular shows, since they can be expected to have a following. Adding those they they want to promote would be good, but then you run the risk of it being cancelled quickly and left with half a season on iTunes looking lonely.

All that being said, the only show on the Top 20 for any given week that I watch is MNF, so I'm out of luck until the NFL and NFL Films jump on board. Eh. Maybe they will add more vintage as they go after the nostalgia crowd.

You wanna see download-mania, just wait until SciFi channel ads more of their library (Firefly and the like) then youll see the geeks downloading in droves... after all who has most of the computers and intrest in doing 'techie' things like downloading video?

 

[cryptochrome]

Favorite SNL Skits? Well I gotta have more cowbell, baby!

Seriously, if they're charging $1.99 per skit that will definitely suck.

 

[Sunrunner]

Favorite SNL Skits? Well I gotta have more cowbell, baby!

Seriously, if they're charging $1.99 per skit that will definitely suck.

They wourld definitely need to make it more like 1.99 an episode for SNL.

 

[iMeowbot]

Thanks iMeowbot. Do you know if that's the value to the producers selling the program to a channel, or to the channel itself (ie. does 50c/viewer/hr pay for their transmission costs)?

That's the top line (ad revenue), and prices generally follow ratings. The costs vary wildly.

 

[GregA]

That's the top line (ad revenue), and prices generally follow ratings. The costs vary wildly.

That's good to know. It means that the TV channels still take a large chunk of that 30-50c for their own costs, before paying the show producers.

 

[hyperpasta]

$1.99

Apple MUST up the resolution on their video downloads. $1.99 is an okay price, but not at low resolution. I will NOT buy a TV show until they fix that.

 

[artifex]

I have a confession to make:
I bought all of last season of Lost from iTunes, and I've been buying each new episode since--except the last one. I must've spent almost $60 so far (the 1st season as a package cost something less than $1.99 per episode). My wife and I had (somehow) missed the show last year until the season finale, which got us totally hooked. This year she works late on Wednesdays, so iTunes has been really conveinent. But...

Please explain your decision not to rent or buy the DVD set, instead? $60 is almost 3 months of Netflix...
for that matter, dig up your VCR and a couple blank tapes?

 

[EricNau]

Apple MUST up the resolution on their video downloads. $1.99 is an okay price, but not at low resolution. I will NOT buy a TV show until they fix that.

If you watch them on your iPod, it is a very good resolution. (Which is really what the videos are meant for)

 

[beatle888]

If you watch them on your iPod, it is a very good resolution. (Which is really what the videos are meant for)

than that makes the price WORSE. if we are expected to pay $2 for watching these on the iPod and not be expected to view them on the computer then that makes the product even less valuable but still paying a premium.


still, ive bought about thirty dollars worth