NBC's iTunes Alternative Launches Private Beta

Why limit to US only?

I don't get why these sorts of things, even free content is not accessible outside the US? I pay good money for a couple NBC channels in HD as well as several in SD to my cable provider here in Canada so I feel I should be able to access that content online as well.
 
so how does hulu decide who gets to become a member, I really want to watch arrested development, now that tv-links has closed down
 
aristotle said:
I don't get why these sorts of things, even free content is not accessible outside the US? I pay good money for a couple NBC channels in HD as well as several in SD to my cable provider here in Canada so I feel I should be able to access that content online as well.
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americans hate canadains, or at least love witholding things from us.

no itunes tv/movies, no iphone.

UK gets things way before us, and we are their neighbor.

tisk tisk US. Start treating us the same as you treat your other 'allies'
 
So... their answer to iTunes is really a YouTube competitor. Brilliant.

YouTube is great for 2-minute shows... forget 30 minutes. No one wants to watch 30 minutes of tv within a browser window. With ads. NBC is approaching the internet with the same lack of creativity that killed the music business - they're approach is simply trying to recreate tv on the internet. And since they lack any software expertise, their delivery mechanism is... Flash video.

The reality is, NBC finally figured out iTunes could very well replace the tv networks. NBC doesn't make the shows, they distribute them, just like iTunes does. Remember that next time Mr. Zucker complains about Apple making money on 'his' content.
 
podcasts?!?

NBC, or anyone else, could just make ad-supported podcasts of their episodes. It's free AND it still works on iPods.
 
1984 said:
The negativity surrounds the fact that NBC wanted Apple to raise to price per episode from $1.99 to as much as $4.99 AND wanted a cut of iPod and iPhone sales.
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Isn't MSNBC Microsoft NBC?

If Bill Gates caved to allowing a cut of Zune profits to the record companies, why can't Steve Jobs see the logic of same with iPod?

Simple: Apple created the iPod in-house. Microsoft glommed on to Zune via Toshiba. MS has no real stake in Zune other than a piece of Apple's action.

Though considering Wikipedia's explanation of Zune's inoperability, why would anyone want one?
 
NBC can suck it. Their shows are all crap now anyway seeing as how Scrubs will be no longer.

The Office is NOT funny.
That Chuck show is just the stupidest thing I have ever seen.

Maybe NBC needs to work on not sucking so bad before they start whining about Apple.
 
Stampyhead said:
That may be the case for some, but not for me. Although I want to download shows on the computer I don't want to watch them on the computer. I had planned on purchasing a season pass this fall for Heros, but since it's not on iTunes anymore I'm not going to Hulu.com. I just won't watch it. This isn't any sort of a protest, but simply a consequence to their content no longer being available in the format I want. If they care, they lost my $29.99 (or however much the season pass would have cost).
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Same here, was planning on purchasing season passes for Heroes, The Office, and Lost. Looks like now I will only be purchasing Lost as long as ABC stays with iTunes *crosses fingers*
 
synth3tik said:
NBC can suck it. Their shows are all crap now anyway seeing as how Scrubs will be no longer.

The Office is NOT funny.
That Chuck show is just the stupidest thing I have ever seen.

Maybe NBC needs to work on not sucking so bad before they start whining about Apple.
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Funny you should mention that.I just watched "Chuck".And look what I saw on it :
newiphoneonchuck2.png
 
The new / old network of the future?

I've been without any "antique media" feed since the :apple: TV came out. They're not pulling me back so easily... the freedom has been amazing!
 
X38 said:
Time for Apple to add a DVR to iLife. And give it the ability to edit out commercials.
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That would be awesome if Apple TV could DVR and then edit through an upgrade to iLife (either through iTunes, iMovie, or possibly even a new Application dedicated to editing/organizing recorded content)! I would buy
 
Martin C said:
The only thing I appreciate about this is the free Office content.
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Glad you liked it, all I got was "This video is not supported in your country"!!
At least with iTunes, if I had an American Credit Card, I could get access. This thing s*cks b*lls.
 
Badandy said:
No, not yet, but thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a try. The thing is, it has commercials. The commercials are repetitive and I keep leaving the room and not knowing when to come back, stuff like that. I'd much rather pay 2 dollars to watch some uninterrupted Office.
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Well I can't get any darned commercials to play in the above example. Not on the dots, and I've watched a good bit and still no commercials. Does this one have commercials?

It's by far the most responsive streamed video I've seen in quite some time as well. The quality is great too. Pretty amazing really. Click anywhere on the line and it's instantaneous and sharp as a tack.
 
pimentoLoaf said:
Isn't MSNBC Microsoft NBC?
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It started out as a partnership that was going to provide "synergy" between NBC News and the web. The MS of MSNBC was Microsoft, but I believe that they gave or sold that controlling interest back to NBC.

More recently, NBC has moved MSNBC to "30 Rock" from their former studios in New Jersey.

I work in the TV news business. From the people I've talked to, MSNBC was (is?) the "red-headed step child" of NBC News. Apparently, the elite NBC corespondents hate having to *also* do work MSNBC. Perhaps now that they are now in the same building, MSNBC will become less of a drag.

Doesn't change my opinion of their iTunes dealings. Why couldn't they do both iTunes *and* hulu?
 
jblakeh1 said:
So... their answer to iTunes is really a YouTube competitor. Brilliant.

YouTube is great for 2-minute shows... forget 30 minutes. No one wants to watch 30 minutes of tv within a browser window. With ads. NBC is approaching the internet with the same lack of creativity that killed the music business - they're approach is simply trying to recreate tv on the internet. And since they lack any software expertise, their delivery mechanism is... Flash video.

The reality is, NBC finally figured out iTunes could very well replace the tv networks. NBC doesn't make the shows, they distribute them, just like iTunes does. Remember that next time Mr. Zucker complains about Apple making money on 'his' content.
Click to expand...

Well, sorta. In some instances they might commission a type of show and own the whole concept. Other shows are developed by independent companies and shopped to networks. The network then pretty much pays for the production of the show. It's not really like music. If NBC or someone doesn't buy the show nobody is going to actually make them just for posterity.

So when NBC "cancels" a show, they're basically killing it unless the production company can sell it to another network. But it's damaged goods then. And the contract may of course preclude that.

The big difference is that without NBC or ABC or whoever first BUYING the show to be aired and essentially paying for the production of it, then it wouldn't exist for iTunes to distribute. I don't see iTunes/Apple actually paying for the production of a show just so they can distribute it just so they can sell iPods.
 
More content

If your waiting for an invite to the site, you can still watch more content through the embedded video in the original post. All you have to do is click menu and more related content is available to watch.
 
jblakeh1 said:
NBC is approaching the internet with the same lack of creativity that killed the music business - they're approach is simply trying to recreate tv on the internet. And since they lack any software expertise, their delivery mechanism is... Flash video.
Click to expand...

There is one thing to take into account in trying to figure out NBC motives, their affiliates. I used to work for an NBC affiliate at the time MSNBC started up. I remember the kerfuffle when at the end of NBC Nightly News, Tom Brokaw did a pitch for MSNBC. He basically told viewers, if they wanted to see extended coverage of whatever the top story was, to tune into MSNBC. The general managers of the affiliates went nuts! That 7pm to 8pm "early prime" block is a huge part of a station's revenue. How dare the network lead viewers away from it.

As NBC is now in a weaker position, they may be getting pressure from the affiliates to keep shows off of iTunes. The stronger networks are probably feeling less heat. The affiliates expect prime-time programming to lead viewers into their late-night news. You can't do that with iTunes.

I wish NBC had stayed, but I feel it's just a way to keep affiliates happy. Perhaps if there was a way for local affiliates to somehow be included in the intro to a show. It would be targeted introductions for an iTunes program like "The Office" brought to you by NBC and KAPL, where Cupertino's News Comes First".

It's just an educated guess from working in the biz. It could be just greed.
 
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