Desperate NBC Goes The iTunes Route, Netting Dozens Of Dollars
NBC executives have stumbled onto a creative solution to their recent ratings woes, and it's exactly the kind of out-of-the-Idea-Box thinking that made these kind of drastic, "we'll do anything—but make good television!" solutions necessary in the first place: charging the public for the same, free NBC-Universal programming it doesn't watch to begin with:
NBC Universal will offer episodes of several television shows it produces on demand and commercial-free for 99 cents to subscribers of DirecTV who use the satellite provider's new DVR recorder.
The agreement announced Monday includes shows that air on NBC, USA, Bravo and the Sci-Fi Channel, including Law & Order: SVU, The Office and Monk. Episodes of the shows will remain available for one week.
We applaud soon-to-be-ejected-by-medieval-catapult NBC head Kevin Reilly's audacious attempt at keeping up with ABC's groundbreaking iPod video deal. Finally, for a mere pittance, a means by which to access that most elusive of television creatures, the Law & Order episode. With forward thinking like this (next up: allowing the viewer to purchase the excised commercials for another 99 cents), it's just a matter of time before this plucked peacock can shake off its recent performance and proudly display its vivid plumage once again.
