RSS iChat Tips Advertise

Mac Chick of The Month

NBC who? FOX, CBS show iTunes support

September 19, 2007 by Dr. Macenstein
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, News, iTunes

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

NBC may have decided it can launch its new Fall seasons without the help of the iTunes store, but it appears the other networks are lining up for some free publicity. This week no fewer than 3 high-profile shows are offering their season premieres on iTunes for free.

FOX is leading the way with 2 shows. First up is the season premiere of Prison Break, their popular prison drama which managed to find a way to get Michael Scofield back behind bars for a 3rd season. Next up is the series premiere of K-Ville, FOX’s highly anticipated police drama set in post-Katrina New Orleans.

CBS is also on board with the series premiere of The Big Bang Theory, a sitcom that puts two nerds and a hot female neighbor together hoping for some laughs. (Let’s hope they can improve on the secret formula that made Perfect Strangers so popular.)

While The Big Bang Theory may or may not see its 3rd episode, FOX’s show of support is especially encouraging, given the somewhat hard-nosedrecent comments of their President Peter Chernin, regarding their upcoming negotiations with Apple on keeping their content on the iTunes store.

Click here to download Prison Break, K-Ville, and The Big Bang Theory for free.

Every time you submit our site, an Angel gets its wings.

Tags:

Comments

16 Comments on NBC who? FOX, CBS show iTunes support

Jack Frost on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 6:07 pm

Um… NBC.com you can watch the episodes anytime online… so does CBS.com… why should everything have to be Itunes…

IdiotFactory on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 6:29 pm

So allow me to understand… there are statistics that show

Josh on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 6:31 pm

The Big Bang Theory was downloaded as a full episode onto my Tivo during the update yesterday or the day before. Good show.

Yvo on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 6:47 pm

@Jack Frost

Because you have to be online to watch the shows from the website whereas with iTunes you can download locally and either watch on an iPod or on your TV with an iPod video out adapter or AppleTV.

apmeyer on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 6:53 pm

“why should everything have to be Itunesâ€¦”

Notice that it’s categorized in “Apple Fanboyism”. So, why do you even question it?

Besides. Using iTunes to centralize your media is a great experience. Apple beats everyone at this game hands down. Who wants to watch a television show in a small window on a website when we can watch it at any size through iTunes — with control over various aspects of the viewing experience.

If you’re happy watching your tiny online box, more power to ya.

@Jack Frost on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 7:08 pm

Why,

Because Itunes is multi-platform. NBC has chosen to ignore a fast growing segment of the population.

Stupid move!

Canadian on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 7:31 pm

Well yeah you can watch them on their websites, if you are in the US, or using a proxy (which is usually pretty slow). As I am in Canada, it’s easier and faster for me to just torrent them, and watch them when I have spare time.

Jimz on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 7:58 pm

Yes, virtually every fall show is available for streaming online through the network sites, check ‘em all out at http://www.sidereel.com.

Jesse on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 8:20 pm

Well watching it online isn’t practical - I mean sure I’ll catch episodes when I’m at work but sitting in front of the computer at home just doesn’t make sense when I have a 42″ plasma in my bedroom and a 62″ plasma in my living room. The convenience of being able to download an episode in less than 7 minutes (44 min episode) and watching it while I’m in bed while drinking a cold beer with my feet up is HIGHLY preferable. Does it matter to me though - not really - now rather than give NBC 1.99 for my episode I’ll torrent it. Sure it’ll take a little longer but I’ll still be able to watch it on my Apple TV (hacked) in the same way.

Jake Garn on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 8:38 pm

To Jack Frost - itunes allows a non-technical consumer to watch content on a multiple sources - not just while connected to the web. It also makes downloading, watching, rewinding, rewatching, skipping ahead, much less painless than any online player I’ve ever experienced. If that is not enough it allows you to see old and new content as well as content from hundreds of suppliers - therefore exposure is phenomenally higher than on nbc.com. Do you want me to explain why supermarkets exist too or do you already understand why our society switched from having a different store for the butcher, baker and candlestick maker?

Mike on Wed, 19th Sep 2007 11:12 pm

well, I for one dont really need to watch TV on a 2 inch screen..

jane on Thu, 20th Sep 2007 12:25 am

@Jesse: who says you can’t download a 44 minute show in a few minutes over torrents?

I regularly watch all these major shows before they even air on the west coast - the regular HDTV rips show up ~30 minutes after airing on the east coast, high resolution HDTV or 720/1080p a bit later or maybe even the next day (but given that some of the HD versions are huge in size…).

Mike on Thu, 20th Sep 2007 11:07 am

And here I just watched all the new premieres off my TiVo through Amazon Unbox for FREE. The 3 you listed, plus all the NBC ones: Chuck, Bionic Woman, etc… And iTunes is still not installed on any of my computers.

Steve on Thu, 20th Sep 2007 12:25 pm

Mike, it’s OK to use iTunes — it really is.

Is it really so important to state you don’t have it installed?

Wise adults and children choose what work’s best, regardless of who makes it, particularly when it’s free.

Bottom line — no one has come close to challenging the iTunes - iPod system’s easy and seamless integration and media selection nor come close to the iPod/iPhone style, quality, variety of offering, value/performance. 75% market share speaks for that.

I will enjoy seeing these shows at my convenience with an iPod.

Free Nature Photography Wallpaper on Thu, 20th Sep 2007 2:23 pm