NBC: iTunes deal helps fight "bad habits"
updated 02:05 pm EST, Wed December 7, 2005
NBC-Apple deal details
NBC said that it " offering both past and present episodes of several television series via iTunes, after discussion began with Apple earlier this spring, according to a new report. NBC included a number of older favorites as well as current hits such as "Law & Order" and Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica," according to Variety. The company said that future announcements would be coming to support its commitment to getting its content into the hands of consumers and fighting piracy. NBC estimates that there are 430,000 illegal downloads of "Battlestar Galactica" each week.
"It proves there is tremendous interest in it and good people have developed bad habits by illegally downloading it. Now they will have to develop good habits," Zucker told Variety.
The company, however, said that both Dish Network's move to offer consumers to download programming to its PocketDish handheld for free and TiVo's mobile content syncing service -- coming early next year as part of an update to its TiVoToGo service -- were made without its consent. Last month, TiVo said that the new service will enable the easy transfer of recorded content to Apple's iPod and the Sony PSP.
"We have worked in concert with Apple to benefit the consumer," Zucker said. "where others are not working with content providers is clearly not in the best interest of the consumer."
On the other hand, NBC signed a deal with satellite competitor and News Corp. subsidy DirecTV to allow users to download shows for 99¢ per episode.
