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MTV Networks might be backing a musical rival to iTunes, but that's not stopping it from expanding its offerings of TV shows on Apple Computer's online store.
The iTunes store's TV show lineup just got a whole lot more colorful, with the addition of "Viva la Bam," "Disorderly Conduct," "Sit-Down Comedy with David Steinberg" and several others from MTV. A subsidiary of media conglomerate Viacom, MTV encompasses Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, The N, Spike TV, VH-1 and, of course, MTV and its various offspring.
The new programming is now available at on iTunes for the regular price of $1.99 per episode, the companies announced Thursday.
Meanwhile, MTV also has a large stake in one of iTunes' newest competitors, MTV Urge, a paid-subscription music and video download service. Last month, the network announced a partnership with Microsoft that would link Urge's content to Windows Media Player 11 as part of the software giant's attempt to attract a bigger base of the young music enthusiasts who have thus far been loyal to iTunes.
Urge's video programming is limited to online-only streaming content from MTV, VH1 and Country Music Television; while songs can be downloaded individually for 99 cents apiece (the same price iTunes charges), video is available only through a monthly subscription.
On the "Gear" section of its Web site, Urge recommends using several rivals to the iPod--the iRiver Clix, Creative Zen Vision:M and Samsung Z5.
Nevertheless, MTV's programming has fared well with iTunes downloaders; Comedy Central's "South Park" is one of the Music Store's most popular titles, with more than 1 million episodes purchased.
See more CNET content tagged:
MTV, MTV Networks, Apple iTunes, programming, Apple Computer
http://www.techknowcafe.com/content/view/567/42/