Downloadable NBC Universal content to be available on DirecTV Plus DVR

DirecTV has just announced a partnership with NBC Universal to offer downloadable content from NBC, Bravo, USA, SciFi and hopefully CNBC (booya, Jim) onto the upcoming DirecTV Plus DVR for 99 cents an episode. It's interesting that DirecTV picked NBC, and not fellow News Corp. subsidy FOX (Simpsons at a-buck-a-pop? T'would be farewell to Comcast), to roll out this new service, although ailing NBC's desperate search for viewers makes this move a no-brainer for Zucker and friends. DirecTV will post new episodes within hours after they air, and make them available until they are replaced the next week. This is a decent start, but until they can sign up some of the "good" networks for this service, we'll stick to recording The 4400 on our PC and clipping out the commercials ourselves.

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

[Brjndr @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Will there be shows in hi-def?

How do you get the content off the DVR, to a portable device or to archive it?

[n8 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

"available until they are replaced the next week" - waaah? They still don't get it, do they. They want to keep the revenue from all their syndicated shows, but as things move in the direction of on-demand, there will be a lot less revenue from those. People are already getting shows they missed from other sources for free, and the best thing to do to combat that is to make them more easily available, easy to find and order, and cheap! How is it that so many people can use iTunes on a daily basis and yet turn around not implement some of the simplist aspects of the business design in their own IP-based business? Remarkable.

[JB @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

A bit confused here. I thought DVRs were already doing this, like when you program the damn thing to record a show? The only difference would be that you could record/download content whenever you want, something known as OnDemand service available to cable customers for a flat monthly fee. Also they really shouldn't call it downloading unless you are going to be able to store and play the shows on something other than the DVR itself. Man seems to me like the industry wants to milk every penny out of their product, next they'll want to charge you every time you view a show. Personally, I will be reluctant to pay for content that I have been able to get for free in the past, like in the good 'ol VCR days. My 2 cents.

[KissTheRing @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

MSNBC?

[Jesse Gunderson @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Why would anyone even want to pay for this service? Like the above comments note, poeple are getting these things for free already. Plus, with how many DVR's are out there, why would I pay someone else to record these shows for me?

I wouldn't.

[Rod Elder @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

All of these "announcements" really are just positioning statements by an industry undergoing MASSIVE changes.

The "carriers" telco's and cableco's are all trying to get a piece of the pie that THEY dont own, the content "producers" and "makers" are playing with lots of different ideas on how to "GO DIRECT" and until someone hits it just right, all these are just passing notions that may not have long term positive results.

When with they all just "get it" consumers want their content, on their terms and at a fair price.

[Tom @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Cramer rocks! Boooya.

[GujuGuy67 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Me: Booyah! Cramer, how's it going?

Cramer: Booyah back to you. Its going good, how about you?

Me: It's going great! Tell me about Sony - NYSE SNE.

Cramer: Sony has been doing really bad lately. I have to say SELL, SELL, SELL!

Me: But...

Cramer: DMR

Me: ... yea...

Cramer: Lawsuits.

Me: ... OK.

[Jake @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

What a total crock. But in the end, I don't think this is going to make NBC or CBS (CBS announced the same type of dealie with Comcast) more than $.99 per box sold for this capability. I'm sure that some nitwits out there will call up DTV and Comcast and ask for the "on-demand show downloader thingy." Those people, if they have the functional intelligence of a golden retreiver, will realize, upon receiving said downloader thingy and using it once, that they don't need to pay for the "pushed" content--which is totally NOT on-demand--because they can just SCHEDULE THE RECORDING THEMSELVES. It's even less of an issue than if this were Tivo, because DTV's next box is supposed to have 3 tuners! Now, if it were Tivo, I would find it more appealing: in the event of a conflict with one of the "pushed" shows, you record the un-available show and pay to watch the pushed one.

[Jake @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

A note of clarification on my earlier post: I read in the CNet coverage of this announcement (not noted in the ENG post) that the shows aren't "downloadable" or "on-demand;" the network will "push" the specified shows (2 Law and Orders, Surface, The Office, Monk, and Battlestar Galactica) out to DTV DVRs, where they will magically appear next morning. DTV subscribers can then elect to pay for and view the content. There is no "on demand" element to this, other than that the content will be waiting for you: AS IF YOU HAD SCHEDULED THE RECORDING YOURSELF!

[Bible and Apologetics Teacher @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Hey... I watch some of those channels! :)