Apple iTunes to sell monthly subscription to shows

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple Computer's iTunes music and video store on Wednesday took its first step toward a monthly subscription model with a new service called Multi-Pass that lets users buy TV shows on a monthly basis, Reuters reports.



Apple is reportedly launching the service in partnership with Viacom Inc.'s Comedy Central Network, which is rolling out "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" on the service.



iTunes customers will be able to buy the next month's series of 16 new episodes via Multi-Pass for $9.99, or to pay $1.99 per episode. Four episodes air each week and viewers can download each episode after it's been broadcast.



Michele Ganeless, executive vice president at Comedy Central, told Reuters there would be no advertising on the service for the time being, similar to the network's DVD business.



Apple has so far resisted calls from media companies and competitors to adopt a monthly subscription fee favored by the likes of Napster and Real Networks Inc.'s Rhapsody, preferring an a la carte download model where music tracks cost 99 cents and videos $1.99.



Interestingly, a survey recently distributed though Coyote Insight and believed to have been commissioned by either Apple or a potential partner, included several questions about a potential $9.99 monthly subscription service that would apply to iTunes Music Store TV series downloads (though this piece information was withheld from the report).



Apple's introduction of the $9.99 Multi-Pass on Wednesday suggests that the company may have indeed been influential in the survey, which otherwise focused on an iTunes full length feature film service.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 59
    xoolxool Posts: 2,460member
    I'm glad this new feature and this content (Daily Show, Colbert Report) are on iTunes. Bout time!



    Now if only Apple would do some Multi-Pass commercials with Milla Jovovich!
  • Reply 2 of 59
    This is way too expensive though. At 10 bucks for almost a month, you are about halfway from paying your local cable company to add DVR service to your house and rent their DVR box and be able to watch in full resolution.
  • Reply 3 of 59
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Apple will neva offer subscription!111!1!



    *figures out just what the hell happened*



    OMG, OMG, Apple and iTMS subsriptions are teh win!
  • Reply 4 of 59
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    This is NOT a subscription service.



    Read that sentence again.



    This is essentially paying for an "album" of shows. If you stop paying the $9.99 per month, you get to keep the ones you've already bought.



    Read this entire post again until it sinks in.
  • Reply 5 of 59
    chris cuillachris cuilla Posts: 4,825member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by AppleInsider

    Michele Ganeless, executive vice president at Comedy Central, told Reuters there would be no advertising on the service for the time being, similar to the network's DVD business.



    Interesting.



    If I am paying for something...there better not be...ever. I already detest the expanding advertising pre-show at the theaters.
  • Reply 6 of 59
    Oh man I am glad that Apple did NOT enter the subscription business... which was my first thought when reading the headline.

    Well, if they had they would have made themselves ridiculous, since they ridiculed the subscription services, for example when they presented the iTMSs for UK, Germany and France...
  • Reply 7 of 59
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Chris Cuilla

    Interesting.



    If I am paying for something...there better not be...ever. I already detest the expanding advertising pre-show at the theaters.




    yeah, i've already become annoyed that g4's x-play, which i enjoy in an amused way, suddenly got ads placed at the fonts ends of their previously free podcasts. guess it doesn't matter that the review itself might generate revenue. i remember living in toronto, where it felt every square inch of surface on ANYthing could be sold for a price.



    anyway, yes, people are clamoring all over this as a subscription, but this makes WAY more sense the way they are doing it. will timely shows like the daily show really be AS FUNNY two years ago? doubt it. and plus, there are SO MANY new peiosdes, who's going to try to buy all of them at $2 a pop? but if one of these shows is the ONLY reason you subscribe to cable, and assuming 16 episodes is approximately one month of shows, AND you get to retain the shows as .m4v files forever burned to disc, well, then it's a really good deal since you could ditch cable altogether.



    i think they're also throwing this out there and see if it floats or sinks. time will tell. does it really hurt apple and comedy central to give it a try?
  • Reply 8 of 59
    xoolxool Posts: 2,460member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Chris Cuilla

    Interesting.



    If I am paying for something...there better not be...ever. I already detest the expanding advertising pre-show at the theaters.




    What if the download was subsidized but there was a sponsor?



    What if the download was free but there was advertising throughout?



    I personally won't be buying these shows because I have DVRs, but if the content was available for free I'd download it for on-the-go viewing like I do with podcasts now. Done deal.



    If I didn't have a DVR I'd probably subscribe* to a few of my favorite shows. Speaking of which, why isn't Ricky Gervais on Multi-Pass?!?!
  • Reply 9 of 59
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Matthew Yohe

    This is way too expensive though. At 10 bucks for almost a month, you are about halfway from paying your local cable company to add DVR service to your house and rent their DVR box and be able to watch in full resolution.



    But it is quite a discount off the regular $1.99 per episode. You get 16 episodes for $10 rather than $32.
  • Reply 10 of 59
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Which if you think about it is about $2/week either way.



    Weekly show: $2

    4x/week show: $2.50



    Seems like they might be homing in on a price point for a package deal?



    "Get a month of your favorite show for $9.99, you own it, period."



    "Subscribe to your shows like you would a magazine - download it when you want, keep it for as long as you want. It's yours. $9.99 a month, all shows."



    Still a lot more than waiting for a DVD if you're interested in archiving, but...





    It's too bad that 'subscribe' already means something Kewl and Diff'rent in online downloads (you never own), instead of more traditional magazine and other paper subscriptions.



    If you think about it, the current music 'subscription' systems are more like lending libraries. You listen to it, but you don't get to keep it.
  • Reply 11 of 59
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BRussell

    But it is quite a discount off the regular $1.99 per episode. You get 16 episodes for $10 rather than $32.



    Exactly. Plus, such a "forward" pricing structure makes perfect sense for material with a limited shelf life, such as topical comedy shows (and, I presume, coming up, things like ESPN 's Sports Desk, other sports shows, news programming, etc.).



    People were complaining that, while they didn't mind paying $1.99 for something like Lost, it seemed to high for "disposable" stuff like Conan. I think this system addresses that concern quite nicely.
  • Reply 12 of 59
    thataboythataboy Posts: 47member
    $10 a month for ONE show is absolutely preposterous!
  • Reply 13 of 59
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    That depends on how you watch TV.



    I know people who spend $40 on a cable bill per month, but only watch a show or three. $10/ea would save them money, and they get to *KEEP* it, which they don't with the cable bill.



    For TV sluts like me, though, the all-you-can-eat-but-don't-get-to-keep-it of traditional TV is more economical.
  • Reply 14 of 59
    chris cuillachris cuilla Posts: 4,825member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Xool

    What if the download was subsidized but there was a sponsor?



    Not sure what you mean here. Can you explain?



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Xool

    What if the download was free but there was advertising throughout?



    I'd be OK with this. Same story with Podcasts. Apple should develop a pay-based system for Podcasters so you have three options:



    1. Pay per episode.

    2. Subscription.

    3. Free with potential for commercials.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Xool

    I personally won't be buying these shows because I have DVRs



    Same here.



    So far, Apple's video offerings don't excite me in any way. I have a couple of music videos in my shopping cart (because I don't think I can get them, economically, elsewhere). But that's about it for me (so far).



    When they have much more content available and the "Mac mini media center" comes down to the $300-400 range...then my interest will be piqued.
  • Reply 15 of 59
    chris cuillachris cuilla Posts: 4,825member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Kickaha

    That depends on how you watch TV.



    I know people who spend $40 on a cable bill per month, but only watch a show or three. $10/ea would save them money, and they get to *KEEP* it, which they don't with the cable bill.



    For TV sluts like me, though, the all-you-can-eat-but-don't-get-to-keep-it of traditional TV is more economical.




    Agreed. Currently I am here:



    Basic cable: $14

    Tivo: $13

    Netflix: $17



    Roughly $45/month.



    I get the most value from Netflix currently. If I could get "my" TV shows (West Wing...which ends this year, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Without a Trace) on iTMS and the "Mac mini media center" was more reasonbly prices for this use. I'd bite and dumb cable and Tivo.
  • Reply 16 of 59
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Thataboy

    $10 a month for ONE show is absolutely preposterous!



    Then I'm sure you'll agree it is less preposterous than $32 for one show.
  • Reply 17 of 59
    chris cuillachris cuilla Posts: 4,825member
    Does anyone get the feeling that the "networks" (content organizers and producers) would love to jettison broadcast TV?



    First, there is limited space. Second, it is regulated (content) much more so than, say cable. Third, if they can get people to pay for the shows, they won't have to sell to advertisers.



    Just a theory.



    NOTE: I'm not saying they will, just sort of wondering if they'd like to.
  • Reply 18 of 59
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    I think the problem is that Apple is trying their best to retrofit the pricing structure of music downloads onto TV, but they really don't match. Right now, an hour or so of music on an album costs $10-$15, and download prices are roughly comparable to CDs. To download an hour TV show costs $1.99 - much cheaper than an album of music, despite being a much richer and denser medium. On the other hand, TV is usually "free" with advertising and your cable bill. And DVDs are roughly the same price as music albums. And 5 minute music video downloads are currently the same price as 45-minute shows.



    The pricing structures just don't fit.
  • Reply 19 of 59
    ajmasajmas Posts: 597member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Chris Cuilla

    Does anyone get the feeling that the "networks" (content organizers and producers) would love to jettison broadcast TV?





    Yes and no. There will always be people willing to put up with ads, for 'free' content and others who just want to watch what they want without having to put up with adverts. The truth is this gives the media companies the ability of trying to please everyone and still make money at the same time.



    The only thing is that they want to stop me recording a show on TV, just because I couldn't be there to see it at the time.
  • Reply 20 of 59
    chris cuillachris cuilla Posts: 4,825member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ajmas

    The only thing is that they want to stop me recording a show on TV, just because I couldn't be there to see it at the time.



    Yeah...the "control-freak" tendencies of the entire media/content industry (music, movies, TV) is becoming more clear (and annoying). For example...don't f***ing prevent me from skipping over the "previews" (commercials) you put on the beginning of a DVD that I just rented or bought!
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