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May 12, 08 - 01:01 pm Comment from: Macromancer

Flight of the Conchords please.

Deadwood and The Larry Sanders Show? WTF?

It's all about The Sopranos, baby! I already have seasons 1-6A burned from my DVDs but if iTunes carries the extended half of season 6 for the right price they'll get some more business out of me.

I don't like the idea of flexible pricing; I think it will "dirty" and "complicate" iTunes Store. However, I look forward to downloading HBO's exciting content!

Vintage clips of Video Jukebox!

Entourage... Let's hug it out...

May 12, 08 - 01:18 pm Comment from: iWill

HBO is smart to consider new distribution channels such as Apple TV via iTunes. Variable pricing structure will un-level the playing field though. Apple, please keep it simple (and elegant) what ever you decide to do.

On principle, I would rather have a set price for all content on iTunes than be able to legitimately purchase Flight of the Conchords (and for me, that says quite a bit).

(And Amazon is why.)

May 12, 08 - 01:30 pm Comment from: Demon

Apple already some variable pricing of shows (PBS for example). But, their is no bundling of programs which is/was the sticking point with NBC.

May 12, 08 - 01:31 pm Comment from: balanced

The Wire.

May 12, 08 - 01:38 pm Comment from: Spark

I don't see a problem with variable pricing. Let's face it, some creative content is better than others; some entertainers have earned the right to charge a premium. Let the market decide. If products are overpriced, they won't sell. Prices will find the proper level if there is an open system. The key is for Apple and the content producers to find a simplified tier structure. Something like set pricing for Premium, Standard, and Bargain sections.

May 12, 08 - 01:47 pm Comment from: KingMel

Apple started with a flat pricing model, and that simplicity helped to build the iTunes base. But everyone is used to a variable retail pricing structure - the same product can cost different amounts in different stores, or even with just different packaging. So I am at a loss to understand the resistance to variable pricing in iTunes. It is merely another retail store. In fact, variable pricing has existed in iTunes for a while with DRM'ed and DRM-free music tracks, various albums, music videos, standard versus HD movies, etc.

The current debate is over variable pricing within a particular area, and I see no reason why all music should be $0.99 per track. Does every track in the iTunes Store have the same value to you?

Everyone seems concerned that variable pricing will inflate prices, and it may do that for popular material. But supply/demand elasticity also has the potential to reduce prices. If the price goes up under a variable pricing structure, then vote with your dollar and the price will eventually go back down. It is time to free up the constraints on the iTunes Store and let it function similarly to other retail venues.

May 12, 08 - 02:03 pm Comment from: Botvinnik

I would purchase HBO's fine "John Adams."

May 12, 08 - 02:11 pm Comment from: Maginary

Please please please have Rome available!!! That show was awesome, at least in the first season. Got a little weird in the second one.

I'd like some of the HBO "America Undercover" series of documentaries. Some of those are extremely well done and entertaining.

HBO's Real Sex!!!

May 12, 08 - 02:57 pm Comment from: HMCIV

I'm guessing the "variable" pricing will apply to HBO miniseries stuff that would be hard to price under the movie or TV Show category.

I don't value HBO much, but enjoy Real Time with Bill Maher. Sign me up for a season pass.
The Docs are pretty good as well. The rest not so much.

May 12, 08 - 03:01 pm Comment from: Mac-nugget

I predicted this when the Apple TV initially got announced. More studios to follow. If you guys thing the iPod was big, you haven't seen anything yet.

May 12, 08 - 03:19 pm Comment from: 84 Mac Guy

HBO - check
Showtime - check
Comedy Central - check
BBC America - check
ABC (Lost) - check
FX (The Shield) - check
Fox (Mad TV) - check
SciFi - shit!

Give me SciFi and its hello Apple TV and goodbye Comcast.

@Spark,

Your reason for not minding variable pricing, namely that better quality deserves more is not a good one. We certaily don't have this at the box office. However, charging less for old episodes makes sense. So, I don't mind paying less for older content as long as there is a cap on new episode pricing.
I can see them charging a bit more for same day releases.

Time Warner. One of the WORST cable companies out there. My wife and I have had many problems with Time Warner relating to billing, service, quality of signal, etc. We're patiently waiting for FIOS TV to be offered in our area so we can drop TW once and for all. (We already have FIOS and dropped Time Warner and their "advanced fiber network" as our ISP.)

We have a relatively new CRT television with a good picture - so it's no Apple TV for us. Likewise, we really enjoy the Wii. Mario Kart racing - two thumbs up.

Peace.

May 12, 08 - 03:45 pm Comment from: Mr. Reeee

I'm not a big GoggleBox fan, but it would be nice to download a program or two from HBO rather than committing and paying for a subscription to HBO and not watching 99% of it.

Good move. Let's hope it happens.

Why doesn't Apple get their shit together with the CRTC in Canada and get all the mainstream US shows available for us on itunes.ca?

May 12, 08 - 06:02 pm Comment from: HotinPlaya

HBO started an online download service earlier this year. It lets HBO subscribers watch 400 hours of programming a month and stream HBO's main channel. The service, called HBO on Broadband,

I would pay a monthly subscription for this on iTunes!

Anyone who thinks prices are going to go down because variable pricing is introduced is just deluding themselves.

Hey, if I thought for one moment that variable pricing would reduce the price of my music purchases, I'd be on it in a New York minute. Most of the stuff I buy is older than 10 to 15 years.

But it's not going to happen.

Because... I suspect that most of the money that moves thru the iTunes store comes from sales of catalog music titles and not recent stuff.

The way retailers (like Walmart) run their $5 DVD bins doesn't hold up in the digital marketplace. Those $5 bins exist to clear out old content that stores need to remove in order to open up store shelves for new releases.

In the digital realm there is no need to clear out old goods, so there is no need for a "$5 bin."

"The current debate is over variable pricing within a particular area, and I see no reason why all music should be $0.99 per track."

You're right.

A lot of music should be priced less. Like most new stuff put out by whatever flavor-of-the-month, no talent is currently being pushed on music patrons by the bean counters currently running the music labels.

"Does every track in the iTunes Store have the same value to you?

No.

Bring HBO's Lucky Louie to iTunes! Such a shame that didn't get a 2nd season. How could anyone not want more episodes with that good egg Jim Norton?

@nobodi, there may be no need for a $5 bin with digital content but if a provider needed to boost interest in a particular offering I can see the provider and Apple agreeing on some sort of sales robot to either lower the price of that content to provide the price elasticity needed to boost it's revenue stream. This would likely happen towards the end of the parent companys fiscal quarter when revenue boost might might be needed to show investors a profitable face aand keep the bears on Wallstreet at bay.
Apple itself has been known to giveaway free episodes of shows to boost interest in buying the entire season series. HBO will quickly learn which of its content are dogs and which are thoroughbreds. This can only lead to them developing better content. They will also learn wether their pricing structure to the cable companys are out of line. I suspect that it is. While some of ther miniseries and sports specials are compelling . I find the bundling of other mindless crap infuriating because it unecessarily inflates the cost of the bundle. It would be the equivalent of filler tracks on CD's.I would love to be able to access Inside the NFL during the football season at the same time or 12 hours later than air time on cable or satellite.

@Pete
Just because we do not have variable pricing at the box office does not mean that the idea of paying more for higher quality is "not a good one." That model works in just about every other transaction we undertake. Why not for proven entertainment. We are talking here about buying TV shows that have aired, sometime some time ago. I'm just saying that I would be prepared to pay more a season of "Seinfeld" than I would for a season of "My Two Dads". For music I'd pay more for Led Zeppelin than I would the Archies. I'd pay more for the latest popular entertainment than I would for old re-runs of the Twilight Zone that is marathoned on TV every three-day weekend. These are proven commodities.

That said, in the realm of entertainment, where new is hot and old is stale, I can see an alternative model based on sliding scale from time of introduction. Set a standard price each for movies, TV shows, songs and albums on the day of introduction. One year later they each go down to the next pricing tier. 5 years later down to the next. Maybe at 10 years they hit the bottom tier pricing and stay there for another 20 years and then go into public domain. Something like that.



Your reason for not minding variable pricing, namely that better quality deserves more is not a good one. We certaily don't have this at the box office. However, charging less for old episodes makes sense. So, I don't mind paying less for older content as long as there is a cap on new episode pricing.
I can see them charging a bit more for same day releases.