Tuesday, May 13,2008 @ 8:55am
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.