Advertisement

New NBC shows are in iTunes Store (sort of)

Update: As our commenters have pointed out, the two premieres now appearing in the iTunes store -- although broadcast by NBC in the US -- are actually produced by other studios such as Fox and Warner Brothers. Since the online distribution rights are separate from the broadcast rights, it would seem that the content owners are more than happy to have their shows sold in iTunes. Unfortunately for fans of Heroes, Law & Order, The Office and 30 Rock, all those shows are produced by NBC/Universal and they are, as expected, not updating with the current season's content.

Original post: When NBC announced their intention to pull their content from the US iTunes Store by December, Apple promised to make that happen much sooner:

"Apple has decided to not offer NBC TV shows for the upcoming television season beginning in September."

A few hours later, NBC stated that their new shows will be available in the US iTunes Store. Today, I found Journeyman [iTunes link] and Chuck [iTunes link], two brand new shows, ready to go. I bet other hits like MyName is Earl and The Office, which premiere on Thursday night, will also be posted.

Why? I imagine a boardroom conversation that sounded something like this:

  • NBC Exec. A: Heh. We showed them. We'll make a bundle on the new stuff and then, bam! We slam the door in December. Cha-ching!

  • NBC Exec. B: Um, sir? They're going to pull all of our stuff immediately. No new shows.

  • NBC Exec. A: *Wilhelm scream* B-But, they can't do that.

  • NBC Exec. B: It's done, sir.

  • NBC Exec. A: Damn. Get Jobs on the phone.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.