[Houston2007]

They got Battlestar Galactica and Heroes! Well as the Sci-Fi Channel! After all the money I spent on iTunes these fracking idiots move to Zune?!!!!

[starman]

The Zune is suck a joke. Why do people continue to take that place seriously?

Screw NBC.

[Chuckit]

That's really surprising. And more than a little bit stupid.

[starman]

As I posted on Twitter, I think it's a stupid idea. They went from a dual-OS system to a single one. Why?

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

That's really surprising. And more than a little bit stupid.

Surprising, really? This just confirms what we already believed: NBCs pulling of content from the iTS was completely personal.

Edit: or maybe I'm just a pessimist.

[Eug]

I wouldn't be surprised if MS gave NBC Universal a much better or flexible deal.

[starman]

Originally Posted by Eug 

I wouldn't be surprised if MS gave NBC Universal a much better or flexible deal.

Like what? Nobody has a f'n Zune! It's STUPID. A gazillion iPods sold, and NBC/Uni goes to the Zune...the biggest joke device ever made?

[Dakar the Fourth]

The NBC prez probably thinks his shows can help make the Zune. Anyway, after reading Eug's comment, the term loss leader comes to mind.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

Surprising, really? This just confirms what we already believed: NBCs pulling of content from the iTS was completely personal.

Edit: or maybe I'm just a pessimist.

Oh, I didn't need confirmation of that; it was pretty obvious. I just would have figured they'd put their efforts behind Hulu or something else that hasn't been widely acknowledged as a joke.

[Dakar the Fourth]

I see what you mean. However, I just see this as a continuation of that guy's bad judgement.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by starman 

Like what? Nobody has a f'n Zune! It's STUPID. A gazillion iPods sold, and NBC/Uni goes to the Zune...the biggest joke device ever made?

From their perspective... Who cares? It's a negotiating ploy. If NBC Universal doesn't get the deal from iTunes, they'll just say frack 'em.

NBC Universal: Your deals suck. If you don't meet our demands, we'll just walk.
Apple: Go ahead. Walk, if you dare.
NBC Universal: See ya!

... A little while later.

MS: Hey looky here! We've got NBC Universal.
NBC Universal: Yes, we fully support online video distribution, if the deals are favourable to our company.

Yeah, NBC Universal will lose some cash in the short term, but remember that online distribution via such downloads is still in its infancy and the dollar amounts for video downloads pale in comparison to DVD sales. So, they can afford to play hardball at this early stage, while still minimizing sales losses.

[starman]

This made me LOL. Think about the title.

[Eug]

[starman]

Ooh, Eug. You really got me there

What are you, a Zune fan?

[starman]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Oh, I didn't need confirmation of that; it was pretty obvious. I just would have figured they'd put their efforts behind Hulu or something else that hasn't been widely acknowledged as a joke.

That's actually a good point. Why bother with the Zune Marketplace when there's Hulu?

[mindwaves]

MacNN | iTunes UK adds NBC/Universal, despite US boycott

[Eug]

Hulu doesn't offer video downloads. Anyways, putting it on the Zune doesn't preclude putting it on Hulu (or iTunes for that matter). Furthermore, some recent Heroes and BSG episodes are already on Hulu.

Originally Posted by starman 

Ooh, Eug. You really got me there

What are you, a Zune fan?

Yeah, you got me. I have 15 Zunes, and I hope Apple dies. Steve Jobs is the anti-Christ.

[starman]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Yeah, you got me. I have 15 Zunes, and I hope Apple dies. Steve Jobs is the anti-Christ.

You sound like someone I know....

[alligator]

Someday the networks will wise up and realize they can't keep doing business like they used to in the "good old days." When they do, most will be playing catch-up to what the consumer wants - instant gratification. NBC will eventually replace it's management, smack itself on the head, and say "Doh!" When that day comes, they will come back to iTunes.

[- - e r i k - -]

Are they still selling Zunes? I don't think I've ever seen one.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Are they still selling Zunes? I don't think I've ever seen one.

After moving to the Bay Area, I thought I would see one, somewhere, on somebody, but still have yet to. Not a day goes by that I do not see an iPod though.

[paul w]

If the way of the digital distibution future is sticking with the propietary, drm'ed thing and ignoring the largest available market, then they can have em. I'll just get em elsewhere - hulu/torrent/dvr/netflix.

[zerock]

nbc universal is back with iTunes UK. so probably they will come back to iTunes US soon enough... or the issue was just an US thing?

[smacintush]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Are they still selling Zunes? I don't think I've ever seen one.

My boss bought one. It was REALLY hard for me to not be a dick about it. (a sarcastic comment might have slipped out )

He won't admit it outright but I know from things he's said that he now regrets buying it.

[ctt1wbw]

Is that Zune really that awful? I've never even seen one in real life, much less gotten to use a demo or anything. The only person, honestly, that I know that has one is my dad, and he's never said anything about it.

Is it really that bad? I'm loving my 32 gig touch.

[Don Pickett]

I think I've seen about five or six Zunes. One was a woman I was working with who won it in a raffle.

That said, I think NBC will come back to the iTMS in a while.

[Atheist]

My niece has a Zune. I offered to buy her a MacBook and she refused. I think it's a reaction to Apple products becoming popular. She doesn't want to walk around campus with a Mac and an iPod like everyone else. I find it kind of funny.

[starman]

I've never seen a Zune in the wild. Everyone at the gym has iPods and maybe some crappy $2 MP3 player.

[goMac]

NBC will be back on iTunes soon enough.

Not that it matters. Hulu has been good enough for my needs.

[::maroma::]

Isn't NBC in bed with MS anyways? MSNBC? I suspect their previous relationship had something to do with this deal.

I too think NBC is being ignorant in regards to the future of media distribution. They seem like they are floundering to figure out what to do. The other networks are playing nice with the big wigs in the game right now, waiting for this transition in media distribution to unfold. Which I think is the smart thing to do. NBC seems to be trying way to hard to figure this thing out.

[boy8cookie]

Originally Posted by starman 

This made me LOL. Think about the title.

Fixed for the dense.

[Jawbone54]

I wonder if NBC actually realizes how completely ridiculous this makes them look.

[andreas_g4]

I can hardly understand how some executives can be that obviously stupid. Making wrong choices is inevitable if you have to make decisions, but that?! fubar!

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

I wonder if NBC actually realizes how completely ridiculous this makes them look.

Actually, it looks like it did exactly what NBC wanted it to do.

From the AI article:

Originally Posted by http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/05/06/nbc_at_itunes_uk_caris_and_piper_outlooks_new_3g_i phone_photo.html

Early visits to the restored content [on iTunes UK], however, reveal that NBC may have gained the upper hand in negotiating its reappearance and struck a deal for variable pricing: legacy shows cost as little as £1.19, while in-production shows sell for £1.89.

[Don Pickett]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Actually, it looks like it did exactly what NBC wanted it to do.

Which is exactly why they did it. The record companies would do it as well if there were another digital store which had anything near the share of the iTMS. That said, I still think NBC will come back to the iTMS, and agree to Apple's terms, because they're not going to sell anything like the number of shows they were selling.

[CharlesS]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear at all with that previous quote. Here's the article it came from:

AppleInsider | NBC at iTunes UK; Caris and Piper outlooks; new '3G iPhone' photo

It's about NBC's return to iTunes UK. By showing that they weren't bluffing about moving their content off of iTunes and onto Zune, NBC managed to get variable pricing on iTunes, at least in the UK.

I'm not going to say I like it, but I will say that I can't really call it ridiculous if it worked.

[peeb]

This might be part of the point though - distro companies are afraid that if downloading really takes off it will destroy their other business models. By moving to a dead platform they can look like they tried, and failed, to make it work.

[olePigeon]

Apparently the reason NBC signed with Microsoft is because Microsoft will be updating Zunes with a "Content Cop." Future firmware for the Zune will scan the Zune disk for "non-legitimately purchased content" and prevent you from playing it.

I'm guessing anything not bought from the Zune Marketplace won't work on the Zune.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Apparently the reason NBC signed with Microsoft is because Microsoft will be updating Zunes with a "Content Cop." Future firmware for the Zune will scan the Zune disk for "non-legitimately purchased content" and prevent you from playing it.

I'm guessing anything not bought from the Zune Marketplace won't work on the Zune.

Wow, I feel sorry for the idiot who pays to illegitimately obtain content.

[ctt1wbw]

That's a scary thought, the idea that your hardware is spying on you in that way. I don't think people are going to be buying products that do that.

[SirCastor]

I have a niece coming out of high school. It may be her biased opinion, but among her friends, the Zune is the more popular choice. As mentioned above, I think people are buying into it simply because it's not an iPod. Apple's sold it's product very well, and naturally there's going to be some backlash (initially, if you'll recall, it was the tech luddites... the guys who said 'I can get this, it's bigger and cheaper and more functional', now it's the crowd who doesn't want to be everyone else.)

I suspect that Universal will come back to iTunes eventually. Simply because the market is too big to ignore. Much like Windows of the 90's, iTunes dominates legal online media distribution, and regardless of the endless alternatives, iTunes and the iPod/iPhone are too big of a market to hold a grudge against.

[Don Pickett]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear at all with that previous quote. Here's the article it came from:

AppleInsider | NBC at iTunes UK; Caris and Piper outlooks; new '3G iPhone' photo

It's about NBC's return to iTunes UK. By showing that they weren't bluffing about moving their content off of iTunes and onto Zune, NBC managed to get variable pricing on iTunes, at least in the UK.

I'm not going to say I like it, but I will say that I can't really call it ridiculous if it worked.

Oh? Then boo!

[Atheist]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Apparently the reason NBC signed with Microsoft is because Microsoft will be updating Zunes with a "Content Cop." Future firmware for the Zune will scan the Zune disk for "non-legitimately purchased content" and prevent you from playing it.

I'm guessing anything not bought from the Zune Marketplace won't work on the Zune.

According to this, MS is NOT implementing any type of "copyright cop".

[Don Pickett]

Originally Posted by Atheist 

According to this, MS is NOT implementing any type of "copyright cop".

When reached for comment, Microsoft replied, "No, we are not tying an anvil to our lead balloon!"