TVSquad

With our ever expanding channel lineups it is getting harder and harder for a new show, especially one tucked away on cable with no big name stars attached, to get noticed. Seeing a network release a show online before the premiere isn't new, but seeing one release a pilot on P2P networks with no DRM is a bit more original. And that is just what the folks over at Spike have done with their new show, Factory.

The network has made the show available on its website, at downloadable video stores like iTunes, and in working with the Jun group, on P2P networks. Although my first reaction at the mention of Limewire was surprise that people are still using Limewire, I do agree with their thinking behind the move. Todd Ames, marketing VP at Spike, said they went with the P2P as an acknowledgment of "what people are really doing, and the way consumers are really looking for content." He also notes that there are no plans to make any additional episodes available that way, but it's a step in the right direction that they are paying attention to the viewers.

That was one of the many insights that NBC head Jeff Zucker had on Charlie Rose last night.

Charlie wanted to know what the top five shows in the ratings were, and while Zucker mentioned shows like Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and House, he also included Heroes in that bunch. He named Heroes and four other shows and said "those are the top five." Now, I love Heroes as much as the next person, but I don't really remember it being in the top five that much (if at all). Top ten or twenty? Sometimes I guess, but not top five.

As I've mentioned a few times, I don't have cable or satellite. I have a computer with an HDTV tuner and a digital antenna sitting on top of our TV cabinet. I get crystal clear reception on every available network except for CBS and PBS, and I can pick those up with old fashioned bunny ears. And while I could supplement my free TV buy purchasing the cable-only shows I really want to see from iTunes or Amazon Unbox, Hulu has been saving me the trouble by providing new BattleStar Galactica episodes within a day or two of their original air date. So while most fans have been tuning into Sci Fi for their BSG fix on Friday nights, I've just fired up the old web browser on Saturday mornings.

And then this weekend things went horribly wrong. There was no new episode on Saturday morning. Or evening. Or Sunday. Today I checked out the Battlestar Galactica page on Hulu, and I found a note showing the air dates and "available on Hulu" dates. Apparently new episodes will not be made available online exactly one week after their original air date. Well, most episodes. If you look closely, you'll see that this past week's episode is scheduled to be online in about a thousand years. But I'm hoping that's just a typo because I'm not really sure I can wait that long.

Honestly, a one week delay isn't unreasonable. It makes sense that Sci Fi would want to encourage people to watch on television rather than their computers. I'm pretty sure they're still making more money from TV advertisements than web-based ads. And the latest episode is already available from Amazon Unbox for $1.99. So I either have to adjust my expectations and avoid spoilers for a week, or shell out some money. Seems fair enough.

Have you noticed any other programs getting a delayed Hulu release?

In a few weeks you might be able to download your favorite HBO series from iTunes. Apple is in talks with the cable network to sell HBO movies and programs on the iTunes Store website. Different rumors are circulating about the deal, but it appears that HBO stands to profit more than other networks have from their iTunes arrangements.

One possible aspect of the deal is "flexible pricing" for HBO content. Single episodes could cost more than the standard $1.99. It's also possible that that price will remain the same, but that HBO will get a larger percentage of the per-episode profits.

You know how Apple's iTunes store was once music only, and then the company added TV and movies? Yeah, replace the word Apple with Microsoft and you've pretty much got today's news. Well most of it, anyway. Microsoft has rolled out an updated version of its Zune Marketplace software. And while movies are nowhere to be seen, there are about 800 episodes from popular TV shows available for purchase at $1.99 a pop.

Titles include South Park, The Office, Heroes, 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, Robot Chicken, and Rock of Love. All of the shows are from NBC Universal, MTV, or Turner. While the pricing in competitive with Apple's iTunes Store, it'd be nice to see a slightly larger content library. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that if the networks currently on board sell a decent number of TV episodes, we'll see other networks join soon enough.

While the window between a movie's theatrical release and DVD release has continued to shrink over the years, it's taken a while for the major studios to creep into the 21st century and offer digital downlaod options at all. Now that you can get most major releases from iTunes, Amazon Unbox, and other online stores, it looks like Apple has turned its atention toward the next digital divide: The length ot fime betwen a DVD release and iTunes releases. Today the company announced partnerhips with a whole slew of movie studios to release videos to iTunes customers the same day as the DVD release.

Participating studios include Fox, Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal, Sony, Lionsgate, Image, and First Look. Apple says this week you'll be able to pick up American Gangster, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly as well as existing titless. The press release doesn't make it clear whether the simultaneous release applies to $2.99 movie rentals or just $14.99 movie purchases.

If history has taught us anything, it's that while Apple may be the first company to announce the news, we suspect the studios will be working with other online video distributors to enable simultaneous release dates soon.

[via TUAW]

I haven't gotten into iTunes video yet. My iTunes music file keeps getting fatter and fatter, but I haven't done anything with video yet. I'm content with buying DVDs and using YouTube and AOL TV for my video needs. But if more stuff like this gets put on iTunes, I might change my mind.

Stephen J. Cannell is starting to put his shows on the music/video service. Granted, the first batch of shows aren't anything I'm interested in (the list includes Hunter, Silk Stalkings, Wiseguy, and 21 Jump Street, with a young Johnny Depp), but I do hope it's successful so we'll see more of the Cannell shows that I'm interested in (though if I'm really interested in them, I probably already own the DVDs). This promises to be just the first group of shows, with more to follow later this year.

One show I do like watching again that is included in this batch is The Greatest American Hero. After the jump, the catchy theme song to the William Katt/Robert Culp/Connie Sellecca series from the 80s.

Great British programming is now available for those who own an iPod but don't have cable television. Certain programs from BBC America (which is, technically, BBC programming) are now available on iTunes. These programs include Torchwood, Little Britain and the new version of Robin Hood. The shows individually cost $1.99 with entire seasons ranging in the same price.

SuperSync is an application for keeping your iTunes libraries synchronized between multiple computers. The software works with Macs and PCs, and now with TiVo as well. SuperSync 2.3 adds support for synchronizing MP3 files with a TiVo.

TiVo users can use the software to access MP3s stored in their iTunes directories on computers connected to the home network. You can then use a TiVo remote to browse your music library by artist, genre, album, or playlist.

The latest version of SuperSync also has a new help system, improved transfer stats, and support for several other digital audio players. A SuperSync license for 2 machines runs $29, with discounted options available for 5 and 10 machine licenses.

If you're like me, you probably get annoyed when you roll down your window and your beard blows up in your eyes... And if you don't have a ridiculous beard, but are still like me in your appreciation for a good teen drama, this might be relevant to your television scheduling.

It seems the overlords over at the CW have hatched a new plan. The last five episodes of Gossip Girl, set to begin on Monday, will not be available for online streaming. I know. OMG! Right? I'll pause while you text your BFF. Over at the New York Times, Paul McGuire, senior VP of communications for the network, is quoted as saying, "This is an experiment to see if this moves the [Nielsen ratings] needle at all."

So you've blown all your laundry money on TV shows from the iTunes store, because paying for a complete season at a timed seemed like a better bargain than paying $1.99 per episode. But what happens when a season is cut short due to oh, say a television writer's strike. Apple is sending out letters to customers who have purchased season passes to shows with truncated seasons, outlining the steps the company will take to keep its paying customers from revolting:

• Even if the season should have ended now, any additional episodes that are still part of the current season will be made available to customers as soon as Apple gets them
  
• If there are ultimately fewer episodes in the season than originally planned, customers will get a partial refund
• At least some customers are getting credits which can be used to buy any two TV shows, music videos, or short films from the iTunes Store

All of this sounds like good news for iTunes users. But I honestly think it would have been bigger news if Apple had decided to stiff their customers.

You can call it the beginning of a beautiful relationship, or it may seem like a license to print money, but any way you view it, today's announcement that Apple will be the signature sponsor for Fox's American Idol -- that Apple will have exclusive audio and video performance download rights for AI -- is huge. The deal, effective immediately, ensures that all Idol performance downloads will now only be available on Apple's iTunes store. In addition, iTunes will sponsor online streaming of contestant performances on the official American Idol web site. Each and every time you click on the AI site, you'll see links for iPods and iTouches and iPhones, all the cool players and gadgets that Apple sells. And every time you click on the Apple site, you'll see links to Idol.

The BBC may be preparing to distribute some of its more popular programs via Apple's iTunes store. The Register is reporting that details on the partnership could be announced as soon as Tuesday.

UK residents can already watch a number of BBC shows online using the iPlayer service, which lets users watch any show that's been broadcast within the last 7 days for free. But the iPlayer is only available to British residents who pay for the BBC's programming with their taxes. Outside of the UK, you have to pay if you want your Doctor Who.

It's not clear right now whether any shows the BBC distributes via iTunes will be available outside of Britan or not. Apple charges UK customers £1.89 to download a television episode, which is almost $2 more than the $1.99 US customers pay. So while it's possible the BBC won't want to sell its content at the lower prices, some money is better than no money, right?

Update: It looks like BBC content is now available at the UK iTunes store, but not the US store.

As reported by TUAW, properties from the Jim Henson Company are available on iTunes. Sadly, this does not include The Muppet Show, which was sold to Disney in 2004.

Among the shows available are the first seasons of Fraggle Rock and Farscape for $1.99 per episode. The article mentions that Farscape is difficult to find on DVD due to difficulties over home video rights (although it has been released previously).

I remember Fraggle Rock from my youth and I always enjoyed it. I remember being scared over the episode with the Terrible Tunnel. As I think about it now, I think Mokey Fraggle had the exact same voice as Rizzo the Rat from the Muppets.

So, for those who use iTunes, here is the chance to indulge yourself and purchase the first few seasons. Or, in the case of Fraggle Rock, you could just buy the DVD.

According to Engadget, the relationship between NBC and Apple seems on the mend. This is a far friendlier state than their previous corporate catfight, which involved NBC Universal's CEO Jeff Zucker saying Apple destroyed the music business while Apple CEO Steve Jobs accusing NBC of doubling its price for online content.

I never thought that their silly name-calling would last when there was money to be made. NBC has the content and Apple has the means of delivery with iTunes. The motivation of mutual profit can end any argument. This has been proven time and again in the entertainment industry when people say "those two will never work together" and are repeatedly proven wrong.

Within a year, I suspect you'll be able to download shows such as 30 Rock and The Office from iTunes (for a fee, of course) and watch them on the go. Until then, don't forget to set your Tivo.