After originally posting this last night, I had a new thought today -- if you can download the show to your iPod, shouldn't that mean that you could also play it on your Mac? And then, if they create a simple interface to send that signal to a large screen TV, wouldn't that potentially create an Apple media center that actually by-passes network TV? This could really be much bigger then what it is right now. And given previous rumors that Apple would buy TiVo...
The Video iPod was on the rumor boards for some time now and, of course, it is a reality. But, this announcement is pretty damned cool. And it sure looks like they've made up with Disney! So, once again, Apple came up with an interesting business model for TV content. Now, watching shows on a 2.5" screen isn't my idea of optimum TV viewing, but it will be interesting to see how many people are willing to pony up $2 to watch shows without commercials. Can they match the 1.8 million songs that people are buying from iTunes a day? (Yea, they're apparently selling 1.8 million songs a day!) That could really be a huge shift in the TV paradigm, couldn’t it? I mean, if people are willing to pay to watch the shows on their iPods, might they be willing to pay for commercial-free shows at home on their TV? Wonder if people would pay a little extra to watch a movie without commercials...
ABC's unprecedented plan to offer next-day downloads of its biggest prime-time hits for $1.99 per episode TO Apple's new video playing iPod opens a new revenue stream for the TV industry and a new era of digital portability for viewers, experts said on Wednesday.The move, unveiled in conjunction with a new partnership between the Walt Disney Co. and Apple Computer Inc marks the latest bid by a major broadcast network and its parent company to shake up "old media" models and expand their avenues of distribution.
"This is the first giant step in terms of making content available to more people in more places," Disney CEO Robert Iger said in announcing the deal.
Commercial-free episodes of two of U.S. television's highest-rated shows -- ABC's "Lost" and Desperate Housewives" -- will be available for download from Apple's iTunes a day after their network broadcast. Last season's episodes will be available for download immediately.
Link: Disney offers next-day iTune downloads of TV shows - Yahoo! News.
Here are some new links about this topic:
Link: APPLE iTUNES TO OFFER VIDEO ON DEMAND.
Link: MediaPost Publications - ABC, iTunes Deal May Break A Few Distribution Windows - 10/13/2005.
Link: adfreak: Steve Jobs kills 30-second spot.
Link: AdJab.
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