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Could Apple, NBC Be Patching up Differences?

pcworld.com — Apple and NBC Universal engaged in one of the more spirited feuds of 2007, when the two companies parted ways over pricing at the iTunes Store. While NBC programming remains absent from the US version of Apple's online store, the two companies could be taking steps to resolve their differences--at least on the other side of the Atlantic

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mklopez 100 days ago, made popular 99 days ago

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leontes, on 05/13/2008, -1/+9yes
- Lyph5, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2And, ladies and gentlemen, that's the beginning and the end of the comments for this story.
  - mikephimikephi, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1I disagree, 'leontes' certainly has put forward some compelling points for one to counter
- LeeSoong, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1NBC,
  We are the iTunes.
  Lower your servers and surrender your shows.
  We will add your seasons and programs distinctiveness to our own.
  Your broadcasts and movies will adapt to service us.
  Resistance is futile.
freshyill, on 05/13/2008, -5/+5Better question: Could my computer at home be downloading torrents of the NBC shows I watch?

(Hint: No. They're all on Thursday night, and TVShows automatically finds the torrents about a half hour after each show ends)
- davidlow, on 05/13/2008, -1/+10TVShows (Mac only?) makes it so easy to just watch the show you like with no hassle. The CEO of NBC should go home and watch his kid, or grandkid, download free content for a while.
  
  Don't these guys realize they're competing with free? The value they add to content distribution is ease-of-use. ONLY. And Apple does that better than anyone. If NBC wants to raise the price they should be working on improvements to ease-of-use. It's the only thing still in their control.
  - freshyill, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2I think people missed my point. My point was that all of the NBC shows I watch finished downloading sometime Thursday evening, hence TVShows and Transmission are currently idle..
    - davidlow, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Huh? Your point is that your download setup is idle after it's done downloading? Of course it is. I don't get it.
paulysan, on 05/13/2008, -16/+6Who cares, who even uses iTunes anymore? With Amazon.com and their selection of DRM free MP3's, plus the fact that most of their songs are cheaper than iTunes also, iTunes really doesn't have a place in digital music buying anymore.
- Matt23, on 05/13/2008, -1/+4You'd be right if we were talking about music.
- HydrogenOxide, on 05/13/2008, -3/+4That is true, but the I-use-IE6-and-Norton-FWDFWDFWD-funny-dancing-baby person will say "Ooh, I just bought an iP-od from wal-mart and it came with something to put on my computer that will put songs on it, and I can buy songs from the store and it will put them on my ipod!
  
  Of course, I Tri-Boot Leopard, XP, and Hardy Heron, use Foobar2000, VLC, and AmaroK, but my point is there are a lot less of people like us and more people like I described using iTunes, and that leads to more sales for NBC.
- catachip, on 05/13/2008, -2/+7What the ***** are you talking about? iTunes just surpassed Wal-Mart as the world's largest music retailer. A whole hell of a lot of people use iTunes. A good proportion are DRM-free, and the rest would be so if the labels would provide them to Apple. iTunes provides an easy and clean interface to download music directly to iTunes at 99 cents each. It's no surprise that the music player with the most sales and market share and the music software with the most market share also has the music store with the most market share. iTunes = digital music. Period. "iTunes doesn't have a place in digital music buying anymore? Sheesh, you must also think WMDs are still hiding in Iraq.
  - locojones, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Wow, so when are you and Steve Jobs getting married?
- zongamin, on 05/13/2008, -2/+2You do realise this is about Video content? You idiot.
MrDoug, on 05/13/2008, -2/+10So let me get this straight. They pulled all the NBC/Universal content because they wouldn't let them have variable pricing. Then they turn around and plunk it all on Hulu for free, if I sit through 45sec of Schick Razor ads.
What happened. Schick/Doritos/Iconic Company wasn't paying them the same money Apple was for selling an episode for them? Imagine that.
That move NEVER made sense to me. It didn't cost them anything to have the content up there. I sold a lot of GE stock after they pulled that move.
- locojones, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1You sell that GE stock. That will show them Douggie!
- chroko, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1The advertising on Hulu is just horrible. Intrusive - and makes me hate the advertisers. But it also sucks because episodes expire. They only have the last ~4 episodes of current shows, so it isn't a dependable way to watch a show that you really like.
  
  For example: They have no previous seasons of Battlestar online (although they have clips from season 3). You also can't catch up on the current season (4), since they only have episodes 4 to 8 up there at the moment. As a fan, this is worthless to me.
  
  (And I'm someone who has previously bought Battlestar on iTunes, then DVD - and will buy it again on BluRay when that eventually comes out.)
  
  If it was subscription-based, had no advertising, and had the full content of shows (no expiring) - Hulu would be pretty good. But that's basically iTunes.
Lancelot9201, on 05/13/2008, -1/+6Variable priced shows should be boycotted, if we see episodes for $2.99, by anyone visiting 'iTunes" after NBC comes back. Keep in mind that HBO has two of their shows priced at $2.99 per episode right now. With what we pay for cable & the revenue that it generates, for these networks, I refuse to participate in their over-pricing scams..
- leontes, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3Those shows are Deadwood and Rome. Both of which are worth two of a regular episode of pretty much everything else, I reckon. It's a slippery slope, granted and I hope not a lot of other show follow this path, but it's Rome and Deadwood.
- chroko, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1I'm torn. HBO shows have *always* been massively overpriced on DVD. ie: $60 retail for Rome season 1. But it's only $35 on iTunes - and each episode *is* an hour long.
  
  So this could actually be their new structure: about 20 minutes per dollar. Up to 45 minute shows - $1.99. Up to 60 minute shows - $2.99. This isn't bad. The slippery slope is if they start charging $2.99 for shorter shows.
chanop, on 05/13/2008, -9/+1Woops, commented on wrong thread........so here's a link to the wonderfull Rick Astley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
bird757, on 05/13/2008, -5/+4I am addicted to Hulu. (http://www.hulu.com) It's free. Has a good amount of my favorite shows and it's easy. The commercials are either 15 seconds or 30 seconds. Very bareable. Thank you for the Rickroll
- MacParrot, on 05/13/2008, -2/+5It isn't really a question of ease of use as Hulu is extremely easy, but of portability and where I want to watch the content. Hulu forces me to watch from my computer, but I can watch video content from iTunes darn near anywhere I want. The no commercials is a bonus. If NBC wants to add ads to their content on iTunes and charge a lower or free price, I have no objection as long as they're no more intrusive than if I watch them on TV. Just don't try to charge me more AND have ads. I prefer to get it legally, but make it expensive or difficult and I'm willing to wager I MIGHT be able to find it somewhere else that NBC sees no benefit from.
  - locojones, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1LOL I love you brainwashed zealots. You bitch and moan that you simply can't watch it on your computer for free, but instead you'll accept a huge Steve Jobs load all over your face and pay to watch it on a teeny tiny 2 inch screen.
mikephimikephi, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2More importantly:
Could I care less?
xm1014, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1I think NBC has bigger things to worry about, like Scrubs not returning to their network next season.
Lantern42, on 05/13/2008, -2/+0I hope this works out. I want to buy the current season of Battlestar Galactica.
VitriolAndAngst, on 05/13/2008, -1/+2Well, many of us knew that NBC would come crawling back. All these networks cannot become the distributors -- because they have to carry other content. If one company tries to duplicate the iTunes infrastructure -- they carry all the same costs but don't have the numbers to make it economically (at a guess).

People go to malls because of all the shops -- not just one outlet. This is the main reason that iTunes beat out all of the other systems (that, and the iPod that just worked).

NBC probably was just losing money and was not distributing as much content -- even free. They also probably realized that the iPhone and AppleTV were going to be HUGE with new abilities to download video -- a new paradigm (sorry to use that over-used term).

It was only a matter of time. NBC was just trying to negotiate for more, because sometimes big companies have to feel like they are special. Now, the executives realize that they are not -- and it's time to get back the deal they had, before Apple changes to deal to favor themselves more.

I imagine that if the TV Networks and the Music Labels before them had been able to dictate terms to Apple -- online distribution would not have taken off. Which, I think the Music Labels would prefer anyway but they have no choice. Apple and Microsoft have drug their feet on HD DVD standards because they wanted the online distribution.
YodaJones, on 05/13/2008, -3/+2Who cares, NBC has crap. Apple can do just fine without them. People would rather have movies than some ***** American television drivel.
jjhuddle, on 05/13/2008, -3/+1PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! I want The Office back on my iPod!
JSolo, on 05/13/2008, -3/+2NBC doesn't need Apple! They have the ZUNE MARKETPLACE!! I heard that will eventually be a success compared to the iTunes store.
tacotruck08, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Hope so. I WANT MORE OFFICE!!
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Could Apple, NBC Be Patching up Differences?

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