Apple Bars New NBC Shows From iTunes

[onehandle]

It's speculated that this is a personal "fuck you" from Steve Jobs by killing NBC video sales four months before the contract runs out.
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The dispute between Apple and NBC Universal over the pricing of video on iTunes grew more heated today as Apple announced it would not add any new NBC television shows to the online store’s inventory.

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Private negotiations between the companies over pricing became public Thursday when NBC Universal told Apple it would not renew its iTunes contract, which expires in December. Among other things, the media company is unhappy that Apple will not relax its policy of pricing downloads of television shows at a flat $1.99. NBC Universal wants to be able to charge more for popular episodes or, in the case of special promotions, to charge less.

Today, Apple swatted back, characterizing NBC Universal’s move as a greedy attack on consumer interests. Apple said the sharp wholesale price increases NBC Universal is seeking for certain content would drive retail prices to $4.99 per episode.

“We are disappointed to see NBC leave iTunes because we would not agree to their dramatic price increase,” said Eddy Cue, vice president of iTunes, in a statement. “We hope they will change their minds and offer their TV shows to the tens of millions of iTunes customers.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/31/technology/31cnd-nbc.html