The iTunes Feud: All About Control

CNet:

NBC Universal landed the first blow on Thursday night when someone leaked to The New York Times that the media conglomerate was refusing to renew its contract to offer downloads of TV shows via iTunes.

NBC never said that it would pull out of iTunes, but only that it was dissatisfied with the financial terms Apple offered. Then Apple raised the stakes by announcing it would not offer NBC's shows for the upcoming TV season and alleged that NBC Universal was asking for a price hike that would have required Apple to raise retail prices from $1.99 to $4.99.

Read the whole story: CNet

Comments

[stupidforum]

10:49 AM on 09/02/2007

Anyone who pays to download music is a fool.

[TimT]

10:04 AM on 09/02/2007

Like most of the recent articles on this subject, this one ignores the key element in the equation -- the perspective of those of us who use the web for our media purchases.

None of the articles I've seen asks what any web user thinks about paying double the current rate for a TV show that they can record for free or get from BitTorrent. Why not ask people what they feel about the media companies' efforts to make DRM even more unpleasant to work with than it already is?

In other words what's the context for this dispute? After all, the companies involved can do all the posturing they want but the customer has the final say in this.

My personal take is that Apple could probably have a little bit more pricing flexibility. But I don't want to have 6 or 8 different pricing structures for TV shows. I don't mind buying TV shows or movies online instead of on DVD if the pricing is fair. But I won't pay pay $4-5 for a TV show I can get for free. And I definitely don't want any more DRM hassles. If I buy a song or a TV show, it should work on every electronic system in my house. Period.

Apple gets that. They have a great sense of what their audience wants. That's why they were able to develop the iPod, iPhone, and iTunes. They built new markets by coming up with stuff people wanted.

The media companies don't get it. That's why ten years ago none of them was able to provide a usable music download system even though they owned the music. That's why they have driven people into file sharing.

Every company wants to make a profit. But the good companies also want to support their customer base.

[alncarter]

08:58 AM on 09/02/2007

If NBC went off the air and never came back would anyone notice or care?

[Libsrule]

03:42 AM on 09/02/2007

It's not exactly about control, it's about controlling the money.

NBC is getting greedy.

Just like the music industry. The music industry (NOT the musicians themselves) never saw a future in computer downloads and when it was shown they could bring in extra bucks and a lot of them, they got greedy and started demanding even more money, thus fucking themselves in the long run.

The artists almost NEVER get anything out of these lawsuits. Perhaps a nickel or two. NOT a nickel or two on the dollar but a FUCKING NICKEL OR DIME.

TV Execs and Music industry people make street pimps look honorable.

[NoPCZone]

12:25 AM on 09/02/2007

NBC/Universal is being greedy. The entertainment industry has gotten filthy rich reselling the same content over and over for ever higher prices and thinks that should be the normal state of things. Some boomers have bought the same music on 45's, LP's, 8-Tracks, Cassettes, CD's and now digital downloads. On the video side it goes from Beta to VHS to LaserDisc to DVD to HDVD or BR DVD or possibly digital download. This doesn't factor in paying to see the content on PPV or premium channels as well as basic cable.

I have no illusions about Apple being pure as the driven snow, but they are the good guys in this battle. IMHO, $1.99 for a 640x480 TV show wrapped in restrictive DRM is too much, much less $5. The greed-meisters at NBC-Universal want to kill the goose hat laid the golden egg, because the paradigm shift of new media is forcing the old business models and economy onto the ropes. They are really afraid that they might actually do original work instead of re-treading the same old crap over and over.

[SteveL]

12:21 AM on 09/02/2007

There is a good reason I pods dominate the market. They work! Don’t take my word for it read the product reviews on Amazon and other product review sites. NBC simply will have no place for its pod casts to go.

[GetoffMylawn]

06:56 PM on 09/01/2007

Because of this story, I just found out I could buy NBC shows on iTunes. But then I thought, why should I buy show I don't want to watch when I could see for free anyway.

[MrBluebird]

05:20 PM on 09/01/2007

No wonder NBC is in trouble. Their management team must have come from GM.

[JakeEasy]

05:51 PM on 09/01/2007

NBC is General Electric. Notice that the once newsy Today show is now 95% advertising - "Concerts in the Park" for their music labels and "inerviews" for GE film company releases. Matt and company are just shills for GE - good money; bad karma.

Apple originally saved the recording companies by negotiating the 99 cent buy. I have purchased more music in the last two years than I did in the eight before I-tunes. While it is true that Greed eats itself, it also chews up a lot of other stuff first. GE may be the foot in the door, not to more industry control, but to the death of the music industry.

[eesmm]

05:02 PM on 09/01/2007

At some point the production companies will wake up to the fact that they don't need distribution companies like NBC or Apple any more. Just arrange a few product placements or bug logos and relese a torrent for free.
TV networks can choose to pay for broadcast rights, should they wish to do so, and add their own commercials to cover their costs.
This way the artists get their due more directly, and everyone is happy, except all those middle-men who can get new jobs actually making something.
TV, in turn, can then concentrate on airing live events (news, sports, etc.)
With regard to the current disagreement between Apple and NBC, I think Apple could consider just letting the content providers set whatever price they want and let the audience decide how much they are willing to pay. I'm not sure why they are putting up a fight here. Their bandwidth is the same either way, so let the (possibly ill-fated) TV/content distribution networks charge what they want.
Their argument that they are somehow protecting viewers from higher prices lacks logic, since consumers can protect themselves quite effectively by not buying it.

[OS2Guy]

04:36 PM on 09/01/2007

NBC wants the up the price of their offerings and Apple says no, they will stay as they are or we won't offer them.

That's the crux of the feud. Good for Apple for throwing them off iTunes. Now 'Net viewers can simply download them via P2P and not give a damn about NBC.

I say: Boycott NBC but that should be too hard. Not too many people actually watch NBC - at least no one that I know of!

Dr. Tim Martin

[whillice]

09:10 PM on 09/01/2007

Amen-- viva la bit torrents!!!!!

[floydmcc66]

10:43 AM on 09/02/2007

I no longer subscribe to cable/sattelite TV. I think the industry needs to radically change their formats. Network programming needs to remain free to viewers in any format. So quit peddeling those frickin full season DVDs and 2 buck reruns. If someone really wants a full season on DVD, charge them $100. That way it becomes cheaper to download on the internet and they can save money on DVD production cost. Maybe sattelite/cable companies can provide the same programming through the internet. Then you could buy web service, TV service or both.
I have a TV/out video card in my computer and I can watch anything I want when I want. Sure sometimes quality is bad. But I'm sick of being the bitch of these huge media organizations who's mission it seems is to brainwash the American people. Keep your viewers fat, scared and ignorant. That seems to be mission statement for big media.

[fodel]

03:11 PM on 09/01/2007

How many times, and how many people, must I pay to play the same song? The music I enjoy the most it stuff I have on LP, cassette, CD, and now on my computer. Many of the music creators are long dead.. and yet I still have to pay some guy in a suit to play a song I like? I think 99 cents for an iTune is WAY too much... music should be sold 3 songs for a nickle.. with 4 cents going to the creators. Everyone else can split up the penny.

[realitytrumpsbull]

03:04 PM on 09/01/2007

The best way to operate your digital music device is to turn it off, and buy a harmonica, learn how to play it. Have yourself a digital prosthesis-ectomy...