NBC to End iTunes Sales?

[jblodgett]

Where else is NBC going to sell their shows?

Is there another provider out there who offers a better service, for a better rate, than what the iTunes store offers?

Seems like a strange decision from NBC's side- because I don't think there is another venue out there for them to sell their product. Unless they are thinking about selling their shows from their own website or something.

 

[0098386]

dvds of tv shows don't come out until the season is over. tv shows on the itunes store are available for purchase the next day. to many, it is a big deal.

Dunno if it's a UK thing, but it's legal for you to download TV torrents. so long as a DVD isn't out.
Makes me wonder why I should spend that £1.80-odd on iTunes.

 

[alywa]

Yet another in the long-standing series of bad decisions by "old media".

Just like MTV/Viacom with YouTube, just like Universal with iTMS, these companies just don't get it. iTunes (plus the others) provide a way for customers to get content (legally, and paid for) that they would otherwise simply steal.

I have a TIVO. I rarely purchase TV shows from iTMS... but if we missed an episode for some reason, it is nice to be able to pay $2 to watch that one. NBC will simply miss out on that purchase if they pull out, because I'll find other ways to see the show. (Legal or illegal).

The networks are scared of Apple, Amazon, etc... and rightfully so. Their near-monopoly status is crumbling, and decisions like this are just going to make their demise faster.

 

[Stella]

Its irrelevant if NBC sucks ass, or produce the best shows on the planet ( which the reality, is probably half way in between those ).. the bottom line is:

Its not good for Apple to lose content.

NBC could just be playing the bargaining game.. threaten to leave, which then leaves Apple to respond, and talks can continue.

 

[glennyboiwpg]

the black donnellys

Wasn't NBC the jerks who pulled the black donnellys from the air even though it was like one of the best shows on that season?

If it was, this is the second time that they are making me say that I never want to deal with them.


if its not... then please ignore this post.

 

[Multimedia]

NBC-Universal Will Be The Biggest Loser In This Scenario

NBC can go to hell. They are a bunch of thieving idiots.

Bravo.

NBC and Universal Music are trying to play hardball with apple. It seems really dumb. Why would I want to sign up to 12 different sites to buy my shows or music. I want one store. That's how grocery stores work! The leading peanut butter manufacturer doesn't open up its own store, they sell their stuff at the grocery store because it's easier and that's where the people are.

But seriously, Mr. Jobs, would it kill you to be a little flexible on flexible pricing?

Well yes it would. He controls ABC. This is more about Steve's position on the Board of Disney than it is about Apple being unfair.

If BSG, Heroes, The Office, and My Name Is Earl is not available as a season pass for the upcoming season, I just saved myself a lot of money! Thanks NBC!

I really want to pay you for these shows, but I'm not going to deal with 20 different online services to do so.

Exactly. NBC-Universal just doesn't get it. They will be The Biggest Loser.

?? why do you think NBC is so stupid?

these type of negotiations are always about the percentage of revenue sharing, NBC might want a 7:3 rather than 5:5. There is no need to accuse NBC want users to pay more.

And users are not going to pay more because the price is already way too high compared to what cable subscribers already pay for all these properties.

 

[BKKbill]

Either I can buy a season of Scrubs and the Office when it starts again or I can find it in some other manner that will not benefit NBC at all.

Your call, NBC.

Please lets not be bitter everybody is just trying to make the best deal. Don't get all bent out of shape on the first salvo.

 

[gkarris]

Where else is NBC going to sell their shows?

Is there another provider out there who offers a better service, for a better rate, than what the iTunes store offers?

Seems like a strange decision from NBC's side- because I don't think there is another venue out there for them to sell their product. Unless they are thinking about selling their shows from their own website or something.

(MS)NBC will sell on XBox Live and the Zune Store...

NBC bought USA Networks (including the SciFi Channel) and cancelled a slew of awesome shows (Farscape, and recently Stargate SG-1). Now we get crap like Flash Gordon and Wrestling (on the SciFi Channel nonetheless).

For me, NBC on iTunes won't be missed...

 

[Orng]

bundling!

This is the heart of the matter right here:

NBC had reportedly been seeking ... the ability to bundle videos.

Why let you get away with one item you really want for 5 bucks, when they can make you buy one item you want and two that nobody will buy otherwise, for 12 dollars? (The iTunes Canada Store doesn't have TV shows, so I'm just guessing at the prices)

I mean, this is the basis of the entire Cable Teevee industry. That's why you have 200 channels and only really watch about 8 of them for any significant duration, and that's if you're a heavy watcher. This is why I went to Rabbit Ears. Because bundling made me angry.

 

[siurpeeman]

Dunno if it's a UK thing, but it's legal for you to download TV torrents. so long as a DVD isn't out.
Makes me wonder why I should spend that £1.80-odd on iTunes.

as a united states citizen, i am unfamiliar with uk laws. however, i have a really hard time believing a person can freely download a tv show just as long as the dvd hasn't been released.

 

[AT71]

Honestly, I don't understand why these studios are so greedy. And why Apple is such a stubborn ass.

Geez! Am I going to lose my favorite shows like Heros, BSG and Eureka?

What happen if the other studios also follow NBC/Universal?

Then there's nothing to buy in iTunes Store. So, there's no need for me to get a 6G iPod.

Maybe we should juz BT and use Zune or Archos.

 

[Stewie]

Big deal.

You could always just buy the dvd of a particular show, and rip it to your Pod.

Problem is DVD doesn't come out for months, where as the download on iTunes is available the day after the airing. But the time the DVD comes out, you have either lost interest, heard about it from everyone do does watch the show, or gotten it from a location that doesn't beneifit Apple or NBC.

 

[milo]

Big deal.

You could always just buy the dvd of a particular show, and rip it to your Pod.

Yeah...six months after the episode aired. And buying the dvd is way useful if you just need ONE episode you missed.


NBC does big business with these shows on iTunes. Their thursday night lineup has had terrible ratings, but they've kept the office on for four years now and have even expanded it to more episodes. There's no way these shows would still be on if they weren't making money via itunes.

Both sides are just grandstanding, they'll end up with a deal at the last minute. There's just no way NBC would walk away from such a solid source of income, and with no other service ready to take the place of iTunes.

 

[zombitronic]

It would be interesting to see the percentage of revenue that Apple makes off of NBC shows through iTunes.

I agree with the convenience arguments about getting a show the next day, if missed. This helped me when my ancient VCR didn't tape Lost. But as stated, there are several other ways to recieve a digital copy of a show without any benefit to the studio. While not a good thing, this loss surely would not hurt iPod sales, and that's the cash cow.

 

[Stewie]

.And users are not going to pay more because the price is already way too high compared to what cable subscribers already pay for all these properties.

Wait...What? If you were only to buy the shows you actually watch on TV from iTunes, it is much cheaper then cable where you have to shell out a fortune for channels that you never watch.

 

[Queso]

as a united states citizen, i am unfamiliar with uk laws. however, i have a really hard time believing a person can freely download a tv show just as long as the dvd hasn't been released.

I think it falls into that legal grey area of UK copyright law that came about due to video recorders and taping music off the radio. It's not strictly legal, but not illegal either. UK law is all a bit like that

 

[Stewie]

Honestly, I don't understand why these studios are so greedy. And why Apple is such a stubborn ass.

Geez! Am I going to lose my favorite shows like Heros, BSG and Eureka?

What happen if the other studios also follow NBC/Universal?

Then there's nothing to buy in iTunes Store. So, there's no need for me to get a 6G iPod.

Maybe we should juz BT and use Zune or Archos.

I can sum it up for you pretty quickly. $.

Everyone wants as much as they can possible get. That is the simple no BS version.

 

[mambodancer]

They don't get it

If BSG, Heroes, The Office, and My Name Is Earl is not available as a season pass for the upcoming season, I just saved myself a lot of money! Thanks NBC!

I really want to pay you for these shows, but I'm not going to deal with 20 different online services to do so.

My thoughts exactly. I use the iTunes downloads as a convenience. The fact that the networks are getting $2 for a show I can record for free (and do now that I have a DVR) you would think would be enough to keep them really happy. What I like about the shows I purchase from iTunes (versus DVR) is that the commericials are edited out and there are none of the ridiculous crawls across the bottom of the screen. I have never, regardless of how much I like the show, bought DVD's of it, and I never will. If I want to see it again, I check it out from our public library for free.

It is amazing how stupid and short sighted the music and movie industries are. If they really want to negotiate with Apple they should be moving to REDUCING the price of their content or making it free altogether (Vintage episodes of Gilligans Island for $2? Come on.) I suspect, based on what I see on some of the sites that offer episodes of shows for online viewing, that they want to include advertising and commercials in their shows.

The future goes forward, not backward NBC. Hire someone that has a clue.

 

[supermacdesign]

We will see...

Once NBC sees the new (perhaps they already have) Multi-Media-Multi-touch iPod that comes out next week they will reconsider. Boom suddenly you've got a new widescreen iPod designed to watch video content on and new hungry users looking for content, this issue will be resolved.

 

[Schtumple]

This is pathetic, all they're doing is hurting themselves, do they think they're going to get more sales by either going with another service or not at all?

They're as bad as the record labels...

 

[Whiskerdreams]

It's about Control not Money

Well I think that NBC and Universal are more concerned with control and not money. Steve could by himself determine what shows of NBC's or what albums of Universals would be carried on iTunes which could lead to either one having a hit or not. That is a lot of power to wield... And the executives at both companies don't want Steve to make those decisions... they want to make those decisions... that is why the music industry has been trying to get apple to provide music at a variable cost that is set by the record companies. So they can keep control over both the artists and the content. We are probably talking about billions of dollars here in revenue at stake.

All I have to say is grab the popcorn and sit back and watch the battle... It's like a new TV show...

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Big deal.

You could always just buy the dvd of a particular show, and rip it to your Pod.

BUT not the day after the show aired. The only way to get the show onto your iPod starting in Jan will be to DIY or bit torrent.

 

[AT71]

I can sum it up for you pretty quickly. $.

Everyone wants as much as they can possible get. That is the simple no BS version.

So, should we all keep our $$$ and BT? Vote without our wallets.

 

[LeviG]

Dunno if it's a UK thing, but it's legal for you to download TV torrents. so long as a DVD isn't out.
Makes me wonder why I should spend that £1.80-odd on iTunes.

since when? As far as I'm aware in the UK it's still illegal to download tv torrents like anything else, its copyright infringement. Technically recording the show on a video is breaking the copyright laws although its allowed as its so common (and hard to stop). And if it's legal before the dvd is out why is illegal after it is?

 

[cwoloszynski]

Could NBC's actions be driven by MS?

NBC and MS have a long-standing relationship. I wonder if MS is planning on pushing hard to get NBC on the Zune.