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god how can apple be so greedy when we all know how little the film industry makes.

I'd be really bummed if I can't get my Heroes episodes from iTunes!

Who's gonna blink first.....

This will all be meaningless if Apple announces movie rentals in HD quality from iTunes next week.

can anyone say bit torrent? NBC doesn't seem to get it that itunes is the only acceptable solution for many of us. That won't stop them from cutting off thier nose to spite thier face.

Man I hope NBC doesn't pull their content. Besides Netflix, iTunes is the only form of TV I am willing to pay for these days - I hate all the crap that gets packaged with cable, and I hate being overcharged for it by cable companies. Because I really only care to stay current with about 6 shows (most of these being from NBC), this fall I was going to get subscriptions to these shows from iTunes; essentially I was going to pay NBC directly (through Apple) for ALL the TV I watch that isn't on DVDs. If they pull out of iTunes, I'm just going to illegally download the episodes (which is a pain-in-the-ass) and still never watch an ounce of the advertising they want me to watch. At least in my case, I don't see this move will do anything but annoy me and make them loose out on what I was willing to pay them to watch their content.

Fools......

There's nothing on NBC that I watch anyway. It won't be missed.

Only thing I'd pay to watch is the last season of Scrubs.

Shows in the UK cost £1.89, so now NBC wants $3.50..

Come on over to Zune Marketplace, NBC Universal. We have loads of very satisfied users and we welcome you with open arms. You want it, you got it. You want $50 for each Zune sold? No problem. Microsoft is really good at partnerships. It's gonna be great.

Like most of Universal's output, this is getting painful to watch. Don't you just love the way this corporation obviously views the public? As something just to be fleeced? Wouldn't you rather buy from a company that respects you as a customer?

And no, I'm not talking about Apple there.

I don't have time to invest in multiple new shows only to be disappointed when it's cancelled due to low ratings..

I usually use iTunes to download the first 4-6 episode of a new show that has traction.

catch up and then set the EyeTV or PVR to record the rest of the season

Greedy bastards,

Every other site I've read have mentioned this as a "done deal". This is the first site that puts it in context from an "anonymous source".

"The two companies could still reach an agreement on a new contract before their current deal expires."
Change "could" to "will". Regardless of what Hulu is or will become, they'd still have to drive traffic to the site and that'd be leaving a LOT of money on the table in the interim... and if the content couldn't be played on Apple TV or iPod, there's a large swath of customers that wouldn't follow them anyway.

TV Shows and films are cheaper on DVD and if you wait until after their initial release DVD's are dirt cheap. These companies want to charge more for lower quality and with less costs to them - how does that work?

The new iPods (coming real soon now, honest) with their larger screens better suited to watching video content will convince them to come to an agreement. They are going to get money, one way or another, and iTunes Store sales are an exact count while broadcast "sales" are not.

Dave

Jeff Zucker is the new Michael Eisner...

@M.X.N.T.4.1

You are exactly right. Just last week, I wanted to buy both available seasons of The Office. The first season was $20, the second was $34. I was able to get both for $52 at BestBuy on DVD. Better quality + cheaper pricing + bonus features - no AppleTV = pretty simple choice.

Universal is just all over the wrong sides of the digital media spectrum. The exclusively support the losing HD DVD format instead of Blu-ray, and now they have some sort of vendetta against Apple as well in the downloads market.

Universal obviously loves leaving a LOT of money on the table it seems, no wonder their TV network sucks....

Ah well, The Office is the only decent thing on NBC anyway....

Beleaguered Apple finally gets nailed for screwing everyone in the music and movie business. This is the beginning of the end for iTunes as everyone moves to the Microsoft store. People want choice in formats and in devices - Apple gives you neither.

We'll see who is laughing 6 months from now as all the music and movie companies run from Apple and there is nothing left but Macworld videos to download. Good to see bloated, overpriced Apple stock getting ready for the inevitable crash into oblivion.

Don't worry about operating systems after Apple dies, your overpriced mac books, imacs and mac pros will run the fast, secure and business capable Microsoft Windows.

I say piss on NBC Universal. Go ahead, do us all a favor and pull that feces you pass off as programmng.

Let NBC lose more online sales to bit-torrent and other illegal downloads. They are screwing themselves and their shareholders much like their management brethren in the music industry.

Pigs get slaughtered in the free market, and NBC Universal is acting like one.

Ah, NBC. Maybe they should have some of the major music labels dust off their digitial download services from the late 1990s. You know, the ones that had draconian DRM, were overpriced, and essentially completely ignored by consumers? Yeah, those. That was in the days before the iTunes store revealed the completely unexpected: consumers will buy digital media if priced fairly and available a la carte. I know, it was totally shocking. Before that, I thought consumers preferred getting boned by the content providers. Now, along comes NBC to champion higher prices and more DRM!!

WOO-HOO!!!!!! Go NBC!!!

What's that you say? They are going to offer low-res, commercial-ladden flash versions of the shows on their website?!?! That would change everything.

If they had any shows worth watching, I would just record them to my hard drive.

@Mac Realist

I'm sure you're kidding, but in case you're not:

Are you kidding? "Bealeaguered"? Are you still living in the 1990s? Apple has about $14 billion in the bank, zero debt, accelerating sales and margins in their desktop and laptop line, 20% of all new laptops sold in this country are Apple laptops, roughly 50% of those new laptops being sold to former PC owners, increasing margins, the most successful retail business in the United States by sales per square foot, just about the fastest-growing growth in retail history...

I could go on, but, as I said earlier, I'm sure you're kidding.

Don't feed the troll. He's on a restricted diet of warm crow.

Jeff Zucker ( sucker) is a loser. He has accomplished a very little since he joined NBC. He has no vision for NBC future.

Mac Realist - you forgot to use the label "beleagered".

When exactly do you predict that Apple will go bankrupt?

Same old same old...

Universal is trying to play hardball... but they have very little leverage.
Apple (from most reports) makes very little on iTMS media. The songs and video files are sold with a razor slim profit. Apple makes their money off iPods and computers.

Universal on the other hand risks losing a big revenue stream if they seriously consider pulling off the iTMS completely.

They can bluff and blowhard all they want. At the end of the day; Universal needs iTMS more than iTMS needs Universal.

I know it has been at least a decade since I watched anything on NBC.

Tivo. I'm not going to say it again.
Tivo.

So I lied.

Just get Tivo and forget all these wallet snatchers.

MDN Take:

"Please note that the shows are all still available on the iTunes Store"

Of course, if I recall correctly, they have contract until December. Let's see what happens then, shall we? Did you expect an inmediate massive content withdrawal?

Possibly they are trying to see if Apple backs its position in order to offer other conditions. Have to agree there

NBC has got it all wrong. Apple is the villian of price control:

the Office, season 1 & 2: total of 28 episodes

itunes: $55.72 ($1.99 episode)
wal-mart (per thier website): 39.87 ($1.42 episode)

Also, with itunes thier is no production cost or cost of materials. So, big bad low price slinging Apple is way more expensive than Wal-mart. Hmm, I don't hear NBC complaining that Wal-mart is playing hard ball. Losers.

they're bettng on hulu.com

we'll see how this goes.
Apple should strike a deal with Netflix video downloads.

go fig, NBC <i>universal<i> is trying to pull their stuff from iTS. who'da thunk it?!?

why is it that all these companies seem to be so gun-ho about trying to take down something successful by Apple, but don't seem like they wanna do the same for anything M$?? "we're gonna pull away from iTS and start using M$ media player (or anything M$ for that matter) b/c this iTS is just getting to be way too popular." nevermind mediocresoft has been doing what they are claiming Apple is doing now for years. i know 2 wrongs don't make a right, but why is it so horrible when Apple does something like this, but none of the companies seem to care that M$ is doing it?

dumb, just dumb

at Tom Riddle:

You just made a discovery that prices at walmart are cheaper!!
Congrats!!!

Apple knows what makes its store successful for consumers, and it will be careful to make in making any changes that move away from that.

Here are some nuggets to connect:
1. Outside of the TV set, people pick the playback device before they pick the store. (We don't get all excited about buying iPods, iPhones and AppleTVs because we want to use the iTunes Store.)
2. Apple makes about 30% profit on each iPod/iPhone, and maybe 2% profit on each episode. Obviously Apple primarily sells content in order to drive sales of devices.
3. The iPhone can access the web. A rumored iPod wifi will be able to access the web. So iPhones and iPods will soon be used to watch content from any "network portal". It doesn't seem to me that Apple will block that. So obviously the value proposition of the iTunes Store is that it is easier to use than anything else.

So whatever NBC is asking for is beyond what Apple wants to do to its customers and its iTunes store. Since NBC is complaining about pricing and DRM, that means it could be higher prices, variable prices, more draconian DRM, etc. The leak about a bundling disagreement seems disingenous - iTunes already does bundling, where you buy one thing and you get a bonus thing; so it's clearly the higher pricing aspect that's the holdup.

Bye Bye NBC.

@Tom Riddle

wal-fart is horrible in their on right. they put the company my dad worked for (as well as many, many others) outta business due to their outragious price demands. the co. my dad worked for (much like many others) put way too much emphasis on their wal-fart client and neglected other clients—to meet wal-fart's demands. too much was lying on wal-fart and once they were making nil on profit with them, they couldn't drop 'em cus they were nearly the only client they still had. eventually wally world dropped them.

that's just stoopid business practice imo. but wal-barf is partially to blame for it also.

but you're right, you don't companies sueing and complaining about them.

I watch almost no television because most of it is crap and I will not schedule my life around when a TV show is on. So, I get what I watch via iTunes or netflix. I bought a season pass to BSG last year and probably will again this year, if its offered. If not, then I won't be watching. NBC will lose all revenue from me. Their loss.

Look at it this way. Imagine the deals Apple can get when NBC Universal comes crawling back on their hands and knees.

What is the particuliar diseas that afflicts these companies? No One, and I mean no one has had the mindshare or market sucess with digital media downloads that Apple has. No one. So where did Universal get the idea that they can match Apple's success starting from scratch? And in light of that success, when Apple tells them that consumers will balk at variable pricing, shouldn't the companies in question be listening?

Far, far too many of the people managing entertainment companies have inflated egos. Hopefully their incipient failure will will take the air out of some of these heads.

I have two choices, steal or buy from iTiunes.

NBC Universal, thanks for lowering the cost of acquiring your content.

It's not like Universal has produced much lately that is worth acquiring anyway, it merely hurts Apples bragging rights.

Bye bye NBC Universal

Ahah! Perhaps all of you nay-sayers will soon be reconsidering my idea for the portable VCR and shortwave radio that connects to one's iPod and alternately folds to the size of a common pack of gum when not in use!

I await your collective apologies.

Let's see, NBC wants more control (ability to raise the price) and bundle content together (force you to buy other content you don't want in order to get what you do want) and Apple is fighting against that.

Who do you want to support?

MSNBC is a joint venture between Redmond and GE. MSNBC and other NBC sites have long been Mac unfriendly. Just yesterday when browsing with the Safari Beta, I was prompted to open FireFox to see on the MSNBC site. Steve should call them out on his next CNBC visit on this nonsense.

@realnbk

I know, pointing out that Wal-mart is cheaper is not real deep. the point being that no media company is complaining about physical DVD prices at Wal-Mart, just digital downloads at itunes. So, NBC is going to remove one choice from the market and make us choose the product that yeilds them less profit. How are they winning?

The music labels are getting in bed with Walmart in order to weaken the itunes negotiating position, but they are doing so at 88 cents a track. Even if they do "win" the right to charge more for "hot" tracks, will customers buy them after being accustomed 99 cent and 88 cent tracks???

Based on historical data they'll be giving up over $30 MM in sales with figures trending significantly upward. They won't do it, especially not after the video capable Nano's are released.

http://www.systemshootouts.org/itunes_sales.html

FFS!! They're removing the shows before they even get to Denmark ?!!

THIS IS BULLS**T !!!!!

When Zucker was only responsible for the Entertainment division of NBC, he excelled, was recognized and promoted for his efforts.

When NBC and Universal merged guess who was appointed to CEO of the TV group? Zucker.

Ever since it's been a struggle and now NBC is dead last among the networks. Peter Principle at play, eh Jeff?

Now you're making an even graver mistake by cutting off one of NBC television's revenue streams.

You zuck jeff...

okey dokey then, guess i'll just go with xtorrent to get my nbc shows.

these guys really are clueless. give me a program for a reasonable price and i'll buy it, ask for more than $2 and i'll go back to piracy.

sheesh

That's it. I'm going to buy a PC.