Apple is similar to Walmart, if you want us to sell your products you have to sell them to us for the lowest price possible or we will go to sell someone elses products.

NBC said they were going to bail on iTunes, which we all know is a stupid move... But, now Apple is not only NOT caving to NBC's demands, but telling them "Your contract is terminated" and giving those idiots the boot. If there was any justice in the universe, all the network execs would be fired tomorrow. lol.

to other networks. If you have a budget, as most of us do, and buy a certain number of shows, just dump NBC and find things on another network to get into. I won't buy NBC shows even if they do come back now.

These executives are sooo smart, now I understand why they get the big bucks. These guy make us all look like the idiotic peons we really are.

Guess I should have dropped out in the third grade so I could understand how to run a TV network.

These are the same geniuses who run MSNBC which gets lower ratings than my local cable blue screen of community events.

I bought a season pass to the office last year, and was looking forward to doing the same this year. NBC has their head so far up their collective butt that they can't s*** out a good idea.

otherwise, Jobs will call your bluff!

Now, just to make a few things clear here. Nobody is cancelling anybody's contract here. This is what's going on: studios and labels are required to announce 90 days before expiration of existing contract if they would renew it or not. Yesterday was 90 days for NBC's contract. They announced they were not renewing. Apple in turn announced that they will not offer any NEW NBC content (i.e. shows from the fall season); it would make little sense to offer it until December, and then, halfway through the season, pull everything out. All old content (prior seasons) will still be available until the end of contract (December).

NBC still has three months to change their minds and subsequently put all new shows on iTunes.

Anyone wanna bet they'll come a-crawling?

....most of their shows suck anyway...hence why they have their lowest ratings in more the 20 years. no big loss

Apple certainly handed their lunch back to NBC, and I think the majority of posters are right that NBC will come crawling back in a year or so -- change of management or some other excuse will be given, but the truth will be plain to those who see it.

I *was* about to order the whole last season of Heroes, but I'll watch em on NBC.com (free) or pirate them (free) instead now. Good move, NBC -- you saved me money and cost yourselves money! I certainly applaud THAT arrangement ...

Should bring back an all-new "Super Train". That'll get him back to #1!!!!!

That'll get 'EM back to #1!!!!!

(typo)

Remember a show that aired on NBC, started sometime in September of 1966 that no other network wanted, one that CBS gave short shrift to in favor of another more "cerebral" offering that CBS jumped on?

Of course, I'm talking about "Star Trek"... and the show CBS went with? ... "Lost in Space" ... one of the two best concurrent examples of network blundering of the time! Now, CBS/Paramount "owns" Trek and the entire franchise of Trek stuff PLUS it also still has the rights on "Lost in Space". Boy, talk about NBC committing errors... guess they still haven't learned anything yet!

My 2 cents... take it FWIW. ;-)

This only upsets me because I bought all three seasons of the Office on iTunes, It was very useful to get that season pass last year because I'm never home during Prime Time to watch TV, now I have to get a DVR.

Did NBC really want to charge $5 an episode? When I can watch it on TV for free? The show is already paid for by the advertisers, why charge half the cost of a DVD movie for a 20 minute episode of a TV show? So now everyone will be doing bittorrent, How can they claim Apple didn't do enough for piracy? Apple's DRM on the video stuff is very secure, at least it takes more effort to crack than simply looking for a download elsewhere.

*shaking head* instead of fighting this stuff these execs need to look at the trend and make it better for the consumer. People don't watch TV the way they used to, and soon people will be going the ProSumer route and switch to watching things produced for free by other people. Don't fight it, embrace it.

It would be great if MacNN could post contact information so that we could let NBC know our displeasure.

I bought several ala carte episodes of NBC shows. I suppose if they were available elsewhere in an easy to assimilate format I would still consider buying them. The NBC pricing scheme however is simply to high for me to bear however.

I didn't even realize that you could have watched Heroes on NBC's website until a week before they pulled it. They pulled it shortly before the DVD went on sale so they could sell more. I guess they didn't care about iTunes sales that much as you said.

They completely destroyed some of my favorite shows (Quantum Leap, I'll Fly Away, SeaQuest), because they kept changing their time spots to compete with other shows and people who loved them lost track of when they were on. I was very surprised they didn't do the same to The Office. They probably will when the next season starts.

too bad for nbc

Seriously, thanks for not letting these guys push you around, it would have just screwed the customers.

I can't seem to find a pro-NBC comment anywhere. I didn't really expect to find one here on MacNN, but elsewhere, in non-mac-biased rags, I'm not finding them either. C|net, digg.com, slashdot... nobody seems to have anything nice to say about NBC. I think this one has to be worrisome to the NBC execs...

If I were an advertiser, I'd be thinking twice about where I spent my $'s. Their ratings are already in the toilet, and they're not making very many friends out in the general populous.

In my honest opinion, NBC's been going downhill since Letterman left.

Good riddance NBC. I hope you choke on your own greed. I'll record your shows from my HD PVR and post them all over the web. Okay, Apple is trying to dominate the industry, but if it helps the little man spend less money, it seems like a good thing to me. Maybe Apple and NBC can reach an agreement for a slight increase, but it still screws the one-price-fits-all model. NBC, bite me.

I guess they (NBC) want to have their own ball rolling. After all, it is their own productions that are up for grabs, not Apples. You can get the shows legally here ... from October ... http://www.hulu.com/ Whats the big deal? If Hula doesn't work, they will return to be hooked up in iTunes, possibly.