NBC Universal to offer free downloads
The NY Times has NBC Universal's announcement of a new plan to offer free downloads of its popular programs. NBC plans to make money in two ways: 1. Through sales of ads to be inserted in the downloads (which you can't fast-forward), and 2. Through sales of no-ads versions. NBC has also pulled out of its deal with Apple to host its content on iTunes (though this is possibly a negotiating ploy).
The major problem with this concept, which the other networks will be watching / preparing to duplicate, is that it fragments the marketplace for consumers. If each network adopts the view that the only place to get their shows will be their own, proprietary sites, they are asking customers to go through the arduous process of finding / downloading their favorite shows from different sites (with different interfaces, logins, etc.)
There is NO WAY that this will become the status quo. Instead, some techies are going to cook up a meta-search site that allows consumers to create a list of their favorite shows and then automatically goes through the process of finding / downloading them from the network sites, thereby removing the effort / pain in the ass from the process. And, incidentally, defeating the networks in their efforts to use their proprietary content to drive traffic to their proprietary sites.
The major problem with this concept, which the other networks will be watching / preparing to duplicate, is that it fragments the marketplace for consumers. If each network adopts the view that the only place to get their shows will be their own, proprietary sites, they are asking customers to go through the arduous process of finding / downloading their favorite shows from different sites (with different interfaces, logins, etc.)
There is NO WAY that this will become the status quo. Instead, some techies are going to cook up a meta-search site that allows consumers to create a list of their favorite shows and then automatically goes through the process of finding / downloading them from the network sites, thereby removing the effort / pain in the ass from the process. And, incidentally, defeating the networks in their efforts to use their proprietary content to drive traffic to their proprietary sites.
Labels: internet, iTunes, NBC Universal, television
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