iTunes / NBC Rift

Apparently, NBC is pulling their shows off of iTunes so iTunes won’t be showing new shows from NBC.

Apple declined to pay more than double the wholesale price for each NBC TV episode, which would have resulted in the retail price to consumers increasing to $4.99 per episode from the current $1.99. Apple’s agreement with NBC ends in December. Since NBC would withdraw their shows in the middle of the television season, Apple has decided to not offer NBC TV shows for the upcoming television season beginning in September. NBC supplied iTunes with three of its 10 best selling TV shows last season, accounting for 30 percent of iTunes TV show sales.

GigaOm

This seems like a very weird move on NBC’s part.

$4.99? For a TV show you can watch free? When other shows from rival netoworks are $1.99? When your network is in last place? When the tecnology easily exists to record and transfer the show yourself? When people can easily swap episodes for free - and they won’t even feel guilty since the show was free - copyright law be damned.

I want NBC to make more money and be successful. This doesn’t seem like a good way to do it.

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