macnn
05/13/2008, 8:55am, EDT
Tuesday, May 13th
HBO launches on iTunes with variable prices
Beating yesterday's predictions by Portfolio, HBO has already launched its programming (iTunes link) on the US iTunes Store. Six TV shows are presently available, including The Wire, The Sopranos, Rome, Deadwood, Flight of the Conchords and Sex and the City. Listings for the shows further confirm that while most episodes are priced at the standard iTunes rate of $1.99, those for Rome, Deadwood and The Sopranos are $2.99 each, marking the first time Apple has allowed variable pricing for TV shows in the US.
It is not however the first time Apple has allowed varied pricing worldwide, as the company recently began selling NBC/Universal programming in such a manner through the UK iTunes Store. This and HBO's deal could foreshadow the return of NBC programming to iTunes US, as one of the primary reasons for the network's departure was said to be Apple's inflexibility in terms of prices. NBC wanted, for instance, to experiment not only with higher prices but episode bundles.
Filed under: Apple
Other story tags: iTunes, video, TV, NBC, HBO
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What???
Variable pricing??? You can't have variable pricing? How is anyone supposed to know how much an episode costs? Why should an episode of one show cost more than another show?
What? Oh, that's the excuse not to have variable pricing for music. I guess TV shows are completely different.
variable pricing
so is this like a "screw you" to nbc and it's zune efforts.
Makes some sense
HBO shows are not free like network TV. You usually have to pay your cable provider to get these shows. For me I'd have to see if it's worth it to get a season pass vs paying a monthly fee for HBO.
Higher NBC Prices
NBC wanted $4.99 for their crappy shows. That's a bit steep (over $100 for a season for lower quality) considering NBC's overpriced DVD's are around $50 for a season.
I work for an NBC affiliate, and even I think that's insane. Apple is trying to nurture the download market, NBC is trying to pillage it.
not first time
"marking the first time Apple has allowed variable pricing for TV shows in the US."
This is not true. For a long time on the US iTunes store select PBS shows (I think Nova was one of them) had higher pricing. Some as high as $5.99/episode, I think (can't check right now from the computer I'm currently on to verify). I also assume that Apple had a bigger problem with the bundling NBC wanted to do than with the pricing. Also, having two or three pricing tiers is one thing. Letting NBC go crazy and price one show at $1.99 and another at $2.37 and yet another at 2.89 and then the following week reprice everything would be a horrible mess.
can you take the hint
testurdo?