September 10, 2008

• The Office is BACK

  Glory, glory, hallelujah!!

  NBC shows are BACK on iTunes!

  This article sums it up pretty well:

  Looks like all the fussin’ and feudin’ between NBC Universal and Apple has come to an end (for now) as the two companies announced yesterday
  that shows from networks within the Peacock family (NBC, Bravo, USA,
  Sci Fi, et al) will once again be available through the iTunes service.
  NBC Uni pulled out
  of iTunes last fall after a fight over pricing. NBC was the No. 1
  supplier of iTunes’ digital media, and NBC Universal president Jeff
  Zucker wanted some say over Apple’s flat $1.99 per episode pricing
  scheme (some reports say
  he was pushing for $4.99 per episode). Despite NBC’s value to iTunes,
  Apple CEO Steve Jobs said no, and NBC opted to not renew its contract
  with iTunes.

  You’ve got to admire Zucker for trying to take down iTunes’
  stranglehold on digital media distribution and its strict, secretive,
  proprietary (and extremely successful) way of doing business. You also
  have to admire that he is big enough to admit when he’s licked: Hulu,
  Zune Marketplace, and Amazon UnBox (Amazon what? Exactly.)
  just don’t pose a serious threat to the iTunes hegemony — or its
  cash-generating prowess. So, in a deal that includes a new $2.99 per HD
  episode option, NBC has come back into the Apple fold just in time for
  the fall TV season.

  Is anyone else excited about this?  Can I get a witness?

  • 5:18 pm
  • 3 Comments