RSSNBC, CBS to Offer Shows for 99 Cents
By Ed Oswald | Published November 8, 2005, 1:24 PM
In two separate deals announced late Monday, both CBS and NBC plan to offer on-demand versions of their hit shows through cable provider Comcast, and satellite provider DirecTV, respectively. Both will charge 99 cents per episode to access the recorded versions of programs.
In the CBS deal, commercials will remain intact, however NBC's offering will cut out the commercials much like the agreement ABC has with Apple's iTunes for its programming.
"We're offering hit programming that is extremely well-suited for this new medium, and we’re confident the lure of watching these shows at one's own convenience, will make this feature wildly popular," CBS chairman Les Moonves said in a statement.
Programming available through Comcast On Demand will include "CSI," "NCIS," "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race." Viewers would have a window of 24 hours after purchase to view the recordings. In some select areas, customers would have the option of purchasing "CSI" and "NCIS" in high-definition format.
NBC's programming will include "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: SVU," "Surface" and "The Office" from its broadcast network. USA Network's "Monk" and the Sci-Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" would also be made available, as the network's sister studio, NBC Universal, produces those shows.
To be able to purchase the content, DirecTV subscribers would need to buy the company's new Interactive DVR unit that is slated to be made available within the next few months.
Analysts, however, have expressed some confusion as to why such a service is necessary.
"Of course, I might ask if you own a DirectTV DVR, why don't you just record the show for free and skip the fee? Did anyone even think of that? Is this some sort of play for folks who have DVRs but don't know how to use them?" Jupiter Research vice president and analyst Michael Gartenberg asked.
However, others said that consumers have the ABC/Apple deal to thank for these new services. "The iPod video player doesn't matter," Forrester Research analyst Jim Nail said.
"What does matter is the crack in the traditional television business model opened by the Apple/ABC deal to allow consumers on-demand access to current hit TV shows. Unwittingly, Apple is building the proof of concept for the video-on-demand (VOD) business model."
Maybe with DRM everywhere, there planning on not letting you record those programs unless you do pay for it
Score: 0
Sounds like a good deal. I will actually pay $1 more for the ability to download and transfer to a portable device.
Score: 0
True if all shows were $.99 PPV I would have a 20$ cable not a $80 one.
Score: 0
I'd pay $4.00/show if I could get 1920x1440 resolution. :P
Score: 0
This doesn't touch the ABC Itunes deal - but it's a good attempt. I pay 90 for cable (Digital Platinum = cable+extended cable+all premiums) and I have a DVR, so I would never need such a service, and I don't understand why anyone with cable and a dvr would either. I don't even know why people buy PPV movies - I mean, you'd have to be incredibly lazy or just impatient. I can understand some PPV content like speacials or shows or documentaries and stuff, but not movies you can get from blockbuster. And likewise this deal, I just don't get it. You can just DVR the stuff that you want to watch from NBC or CBS....do it by new season, or by every show. Why then would I want to buy it?
Score: 0
Nice, its about time. Been waiting for this every since PVR came out.. I think ALL shows should be PPV.. IMHO. That what you can get TV your way, WHEN you want..
Yeah, so it costs, but think about this, how much TV do you watch? I am paying 90 bucks a month for cable/TV. I don't think I watch that much TV if it was a la carte.. My bill would probably be more like 60 if I was ONLY paying for shows I watch...
Score: 0
Then why do you have cable for 90? As I said - I have cable for 90, and it has everything. But me and my wife watch TV in our spare time, or relaxing. So we use our digital on demand premium channels at least every 2 nights and on the weekends - so it's a real value. Why would you get a full package if you're not going to use it?
Score: 0
Exactly! I pay $0, and I get the choice to watch all of the shows above with the exception of "Battlestar Galactica"!
I have 8 channels, though in thunderstorms that drops to about 3, and they all go wavy.
Score: 0
LOL
Score: 0
If I am going to pay for a TV show it better damn well have no commercials in it. Pretty stupid I pay $60 for TV and I still have to watch 15 minutes of commercials for a 30 minute show.
Score: 0
Well, that's what PPV is all about, its JUST the show, no interruptions just like a DVD. DVD's don't have commercials.. That's what pays for the show, the show would be better and as you stated have more content if we didn't have to put up with those stupid commercials. I know they pay for the show on broadcast, but I will be damned if I have to like them.
Score: 0
LOL...commercials are actually about 6-8 minutes per 30 minute show and 15-18 per 60 minute show. In any case, I completely agree with you. Who the hell would buy a show WITH commercials in it?
Score: 0
Last year the CBC(Canada) increased the number of commercials to 12minutes/hour.
Before that you got a 6 minute break to do whatever on shows like 'The Nature of Things', at the 25 or 30 minute mark.
:'(
Score: 0