Disney on iTunes deal

TVWeek has posted an interview with Disney/ABC exec Anne Sweeney on the video iPod/digital media revolution, how last year's revolutionary deal with Apple became a turning point for networks, how many are looking for growth opportunities via mobile content delivery. "Looking at the video iPod Mr. Jobs gave her, Ms. Sweeney knew she didn't face a choice of whether to makes episodes available online, but a choice of whether to try to monetize online distribution of ABC content. Assembling the deal that Mr. Jobs and Ms. Sweeney's boss, Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger, ultimately announced in October 2005 was tricky. Due to Apple's secretive development process, Ms. Sweeney was allowed to involve only a handful of people. Everyone signed nondisclosure agreements. At the time, the secrecy seemed merely an annoyance. But after the announcement, angry reactions by station owners and advertisers left out of the loop gave the Disney-iTunes deal a worrisome spin."

by MacNN Staff