NBC Pulling Out of iTunes Store
8:20 am, August 31st, 2007, Pete Mortensen
A lot of mystery remains about Apple’s big iPod event next week. Will we see widescreen touch iPods (what were known as “true” video iPods before the iPhone showed up)? Nanos with video? A shuffle that can scramble your brain?
What is certain is that, for once, Steve Jobs won’t demonstrate a new iPod video with a clip from “The Office,” as NBC Universal has announced its withdrawal from the iTunes Music Store as of December, according to the New York Times. While it’s possible that existing content will remain or that NBC will offer new content on an as-chosen basis like Universal Music has, it’s more likely that NBC is packing up its toys for Hulu.com, the bizarre commercial video service that NBC and News Corp. promise to launch “real soon now.”
This is a huge blow — NBC makes up 40 percent of all video sales, and I can’t think of a recent iTunes event that didn’t feature an NBC show, which really says something, given Steve Jobs’s close ties to Disney and ABC. Not a sign of doom, but a clear sign that Apple isn’t as secure in video as it has been in music.
Via Apple 2.0.
Posted by Pete Mortensen in Apple, iTunes | Comment on this article
Thank goodness Lost will still be available. I had to do a panicked Google after reading this to be sure that isn’t a NBC show.
Ben, on August 31st, 2007 at 9:46 am
I’m surprised that there are people who would pay to see any NBC show. Of the pathetic network offerings theirs is consistently the worst…but then that’s not saying much.
jp, on September 1st, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Actually Steve seems to be just playing hardball (as he usually does), this time maybe he went a bit too far, but although this will hit the sales figure, it won’t have such an impact on actual profits, it’s no secret that Apple doesn’t have a huge margin on the iTunes store in general, and music is still by far the largest chunk.
I think they’re betting NBC will come back with their tail between their legs as their own efforts to sell their wares digitally fail.
d0b3rmann, on September 3rd, 2007 at 6:09 pm
[...] Amazon MP3 only sells DRM-free MP3s, largely from Universal and EMI, but with indies in the mix, too. Amazon tracks cost $0.89 to $0.99 each. Apple began iTunes plus with only EMI on board, but doesn’t have Universal doing the DRM-free thing, and it’s quite unlikely they ever will. Universal is part of the same company as NBC, and we know how that worked out. [...]
Cult of Mac » Blog Archive » Apple Extends iTunes Plus to Indies, Drops Price Selectively, on October 15th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
[...] Amazon MP3 only sells DRM-free MP3s, largely from Universal and EMI, but with indies in the mix, too. Amazon tracks cost $0.89 to $0.99 each. Apple began iTunes plus with only EMI on board, but doesn’t have Universal doing the DRM-free thing, and it’s quite unlikely they ever will. Universal is part of the same company as NBC, and we know how that worked out. [...]
Apple Extends iTunes Plus to Indies, Drops Price Selectively, on October 16th, 2007 at 12:33 am
[...] Amazon MP3 only sells DRM-free MP3s, largely from Universal and EMI, but with indies in the mix, too. Amazon tracks cost $0.89 to $0.99 each. Apple began iTunes plus with only EMI on board, but doesn’t have Universal doing the DRM-free thing, and it’s quite unlikely they ever will. Universal is part of the same company as NBC, and we know how that worked out. [...]
Tech News » Blog Archive » Apple Extends iTunes Plus to Indies, Drops Price Selectively, on October 16th, 2007 at 1:27 am