NBC, Sci-fi, and USA join Apple line up
Heavy hitters NBC, Sci-fi channel, and USA now all have shows available for download at the iTunes store, ready to zap directly to a video-enabled 5G iPod. Things are moving fast in the world of portable video downloads; NBC in particular seems to have realized the potential and taken a huge step forward.
Shows available for download include the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’brien, The Office, Monk, Battle Star Galactica, Law & Order, and even some vintage shows like Night Rider, Dragnet, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
This is a great start and I’m pleased with the rate new networks and shows are being added. What would I like to see in the future? Fox would be a great addition. Simpsons is a natural choice for the portable format thanks to its rapid fire jokes, short episodes (compared to Lost etc), and extreme appeal to the masses. Ditto for Family Guy and Futurama.
Speaking of those shows, I believe I mentioned before that Cartoon Network/Adult Swim would be an amazing partner for Apple. Not only does Adult Swim hold a huge portion of the iPod market, but the shows are cool, funny, and above all short. 15 minutes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force might be the ultimate iPod show.
Another little annoyance, for the price of $2, you only get the first 10 minutes or so of Leno or Conan. If you want the full episode NBC expects you to fork over a whopping $10. Also, to purchase many episodes, say, the first season of Dragnet, would cost a TON of money, far more than buying the DVDs. So it’s not perfect yet, but we’re getting there.