Filed under: Audio, Business, Finance, Internet, Video, Web services, Apple, Google
No more NBC shows on iTunes
Apple's number one seller has apparently just cancelled its contract to sell digital downloads of their shows via iTunes.NBC Universal was unable to come to an agreement with Apple on pricing, bundling content and more restrictive DRM. This move is yet another grinding moment between Apple and the media companies who are unhappy with Apple for not giving them greater control over the pricing of music and videos it sells through iTunes. Could this just have been a way for them to finally jump over to NewCo (Hulu), their YouTube competition?
NBC has accounted for 40% of downloads on Apple's iTunes, and will continue sales through to December. Apple is now the third largest seller of music, passing Amazon, and just behind Wal-Mart and Best Buy. Say bye bye to your most important way of marketing new products to consumers NBC.
UPDATE: Apple beat NBC to the punch and will not be selling any NBC material starting in September.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Buck Jones III said 4:03PM on 8-31-2007
Alot of people are saying this is bad for the consumer. This is great for the consumer, so it gives other popular choices to aquire content. I think more content providers are gonna follow, because they want change and other choices. itunes is old news... I must be the biggest apple hater, lol! It's just my opinion and we should have free speech here, right? I can see people with ipod's are starting to look elsewhere. They're getting bored with it, just like any fad or movement.
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John said 4:14PM on 8-31-2007
I think that Buck Jones is missing a critical part of the story. Apple has been fighting both the record companies and the studios to keep prices uniform and fair. It just shows how well Apple knows the customers and how very little the studios and record companies know them.
Apple understands that it is competing against "free." If the content producers had it their way we'd be paying $2-4 for a single and $5-7 for a TV show.
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David Macdonald said 6:21PM on 8-31-2007
I agree with Buck Jones. To say that Apple is fighting to keep prices uniform and fair is not true. They will charge whatever they think they can get away with. Here in the UK iTunes songs are 50% more than songs in the US and they just opened the iTunes video store- with videos costing 100% (double) what they cost in the US. I hope that more companies start selling music and videos so that we won't be stuck with one company (Apple) having monopoly on the market.
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Timothy James McNeely CFP® said 12:50AM on 9-01-2007
Feeling shafted by NBC’s proposed $4.99 an episode price hike that got their new fall season kicked out of iTunes?
Kevin Wick has been kind enough to look up the contact information for the NBC Executives that are key to getting this situation reversed.
Amy Zelvin, NBC Universal Digital Media Communications, (212) 664-7436 amy.zelvin@nbcuni.com
Joe Libonati, NBC Universal Television Group Publicity, (818) 840-3050 joe.libonati@nbcuni.com
(edit) Some additions-
Jeff Zucker, President and Chief Executive Officer, NBC Universal (212) 664-4444 jeff.zucker@nbcuni.com
Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio ben.silverman@nbcuni.com
Now, please don’t call these people and threaten them, cuss them, or yell at them. That’s not going to get anything accomplished.
If, however, you want to politely let them know how you feel about their suggested price increase, and subsequent removal from iTunes, it might actually have some affect.
If enough people call, NBC just might listen…you never know.
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Ethan Dickerson said 7:40AM on 9-02-2007
NBC should be careful about yanking content because the audience is fickle and has a lot to choose from. I don't watch much TV anyway. Everything I need is on the PC now... News, Sports, and Entertainment and I think the days of large and syndicated broadcasting companies are numbered. Especially when they fight the flow of the market that is pushing them toward availability and convenience.
Ethan Dickenson, Author, Today's 'Best of Breed'
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