NBC reconsiders iTunes

NBC is again considering distribution of its TV shows through the iTunes store, pending a more rigid anti-piracy stance. According to CNET, George Kliavkoff, chief digital officer for NBC Universal, says that digital piracy hurts the company to the point where it is not viable to distribute its content digitally. The statement comes after NBC Universal pulled shows such as Heroes and The Office from iTunes over a pricing dispute between itself and Apple.

"If you look at studies about MP3 players, especially leading MP3 players and what portion of that content is pirated, and think about how that content gets onto that device, it has to go through a gatekeeping piece of software, which would be a convenient place to put some antipiracy measures," said Kliavkoff during an interview at the Ad:Tech conference.

Kliavkoff says this despite several movies from Universal being present on the store. "We'd love to be on iTunes," notes Kliavkoff. "It has a great customer experience. We'd love to figure out a way to distribute our content on iTunes."

NBC Universal still maintains strict requirements for pricing, with the company setting a wholesale price for sale to distributors, who can in turn sell the content for whatever they wish.

by MacNN Staff