How do you really feel?

Apple really shouldn't hold back its true feelings about the iTunes Store no longer having NBC's TV shows like this:

The move follows NBC's decision to not renew its agreement with iTunes after Apple declined to pay more than double the wholesale price for each NBC TV episode, which would have resulted in the retail price to consumers increasing to $4.99 per episode from the current $1.99. ABC, CBS, FOX and The CW, along with more than 50 cable networks, are signed up to sell TV shows from their upcoming season on iTunes at $1.99 per episode.

"We are disappointed to see NBC leave iTunes because we would not agree to their dramatic price increase," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes.

Despite the bad news, that's probably the most refreshing press release the Macalope's read in a long time.

Apple may be laying out the worst case scenario there, but $4.99 an episode is insane. $109.78 for a 22-episode season? No thanks.

Not that the horned one is really downloading a lot of TV shows from iTunes anyway when his EyeTV kindly records them for free. When there are so many other options, trying to raise the price so dramatically certainly seems like an attempt to kill the channel (as in distribution channel, not television channel).

Like Universal, NBC is clearly happy to screw its customers in an attempt to screw Apple. Way to build the brand.

Coincidentally, a woodland gnome points out to the Macalope that NBC is partly owned by Universal's parent corporation. What are the odds?!

UPDATE: This piece (tip o' the antlers to Daring Fireball) reminded the Macalope that the way he got in to Heroes (it's a very good show, by the way, even if the season finale was a little bit of a letdown) was that the first episode was a free download from iTunes.

Are there just not good metrics for this stuff or are they that stupid?

[monkyhead]

The Odds..

I would place those odds at approximately uh:huh.

[The Real John Muir]

Universal Pain in the Butt

Universal sure are a punchy bunch. They knocked a dollar out of Microsoft for every Zune sold (must have earned them at least 20 bucks), they howled at not being able to charge 1,2,5 $10 for iTunes tracks they deemed popular, and now they tried a tug of war with Apple over TV rights and wound up on their collective rear as Cupertino let go of the rope!

Yeah: this is definitely going to end well for them. Providing content to their customers for a fair price via the best engineered and most popular service going ? what were they thinking! Glad to see that mishap is all cleared up now.

[Wolfman-K]

I can't agree more.

Macalope, you and I wrote nearly the same article today. Its good to see all the mythical mac fanimals pulling the same line. Nice work my friend.

http://net-k.us/blog/?p=745

[ChrisinSapporo]

Is Microsoft behind this?

I wonder if that zune subsidy has a further clause for universal to ditch Apple
asap?

[fuzfire]

NBC and itunes

Are all these content moguls at NBC on crack or something? Anyway, you got
it right the first time, "...Are there just not good metrics for this stuff or are
they that stupid?".

[macaholic--2008]

When is Universal not Universal?

When UMG (Universal Music Group) is owned by Vivendi, and NBC/Universal is
owned by GE.

Mind you, GE and Vivendi are both big time corporate ass-wipes.

[cyclelogicpress.com]

That wheeze you just heard...

... was the NBC dinosaur realizing they're about to be frozen out of the iTune
profit machine. How much is it costing NBC to have their content on iTunes?