HBO shows arrive on iTunes starting at $1.99 an episode

[AppleInsider]

Confirming unofficial reports earlier this week, HBO and Apple on Tuesday formally announced that television programming from HBO is now available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store at prices between $1.99 and $2.99 an episode.

Among the offerings are Emmy Award-winning shows "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City," "Deadwood" and "Rome," as well as the critically acclaimed hits "Flight of the Conchords" and "The Wire."

"We're thrilled to bring this incredible lineup of programming from HBO to the iTunes Store," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes. "These are some of the most talked about television shows ever, as well as some of the most requested by our customers."

HBO shows purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store can be viewed on a Mac or PC, iPod nano with video, iPod classic, iPod touch, fifth generation iPod, iPhone or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV. "Sex and the City," "The Wire" and "Flight of the Conchords" are priced at $1.99 per episode, and "The Sopranos," "Deadwood" and "Rome" are priced at $2.99 per episode.

iTunes customers can also choose to purchase entire seasons of their favorite programs, and in preparation of the May 30 premier of the HBO film "Sex and the City: The Movie," fans can choose any or all 94 episodes from the entire six seasons of the program.

In addition to being the world's largest online music store, the iTunes Store is also the world's most popular online TV store with a catalog of over 800 shows (over 20,000 episodes). To date, the service has sold over 150 million TV episodes.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[blauvs]

no curb your enthusiasm or entourage for sale on iTMS?

that's weak.

[Obi-Wan Kubrick]

Originally Posted by blauvs

no curb your enthusiasm or entourage for sale on iTMS?

that's weak.

As Larry would say "Pretty, pretty, pretty crappy."

[Obi-Wan Kubrick]

The HBO DVD's have come down in price. $2.99 x 12 episodes = $35.88. I guess that is still cheaper than HBO DVD's but I still don't think it is worth it

[GQB]

So are these prices for rental or purchase?
i.e. Rome for 2.99/episode or 35.88 for a season.

[Wiggin]

Originally Posted by GQB

So are these prices for rental or purchase?
i.e. Rome for 2.99/episode or 35.88 for a season.

iTunes doesn't rent TV shows...but I'm still hopeful!

[teckstud]

Are HBO movies or specials offered?

[iPhelim]

give me Flight of the Conchords on the UK store! Pleaseeee....

[gordy]

I'm holding out for Big Love...but I'd buy a few episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm were they available.

Higher pricing is acceptable here, since, you have to pay for HBO. NBC content is free.

[dwr50]

The big question should be ... will they have DRM ?

[SpamSandwich]

As the old joke about the lawyers on the bottom of the ocean goes, "it's an excellent start".

But more importantly, I can get "I Dream of Jeannie" on iTunes.

[zinfella]

YAWN......... I've seen all of the HBO shows, that I care to see, at a FAR better price, using a monthly HBO subscription on my cable connection. With few exceptions, once I've seen something, I don't care to see it again. Where's the mystery, the intrigue? Of course, there is none, you already know the outcome. :o(

[mrjoec123]

I'm not particularly happy about the idea of variable pricing. But there are arguments to be made as to why Sopranos, Deadwood, and Rome episodes are a bit more expensive than network TV shows.

1. They're longer than even 1-hour TV shows, since they don't have commercials at broadcast time. Some episodes are actually an hour long, as opposed to the 41 minutes of any CBS or ABC show. That's close to the length of some movies for which you would pay $9.99.

2. As someone else pointed out, you have to pay for HBO on cable, and you don't have to for NBC, CBS, FOX, etc. In other words, this content isn't freely available anywhere.

3. When these shows are released on DVD, they tend to be far more expensive than the average TV season. Just about all the seasons of Sopranos were released at $60 or more. Some stores sold individual seasons for over $100 at release. Getting a whole season at $38 seems like a bargain in comparison.

I'm sure this is just the beginning of the releases for HBO. I have no doubt we'll see Curb and Entourage soon. Hopefully, HBO will work out a way to sell all the amazing comedy specials they've had over the years. I'd love to get some of the classic George Carlin, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, etc. specials. Or some of the old Rodney Dangerfield young comedian standup shows.

This is a good thing for both HBO and iTunes.

[mrjoec123]

Originally Posted by zinfella

YAWN......... I've seen all of the HBO shows, that I care to see, at a FAR better price, using a monthly HBO subscription on my cable connection. With few exceptions, once I've seen something, I don't care to see it again. Where's the mystery, the intrigue? Of course, there is none, you already know the outcome. :o(

I never understood this argument. But then again, I don't watch movies and shows for the "intrigue." Like any Shakespeare play, a good movie or TV show isn't about the plot. I can almost always guess what's going to happen next, even during shows that I haven't seen. For me, it's about the dialog, the acting, the craft. I've watched the entire Sopranos series more than once already, and I'll probably watch it again every couple of years. Every time I find new things I didn't notice before. You almost never fully appreciate a good movie the first time you see it.

Now for light entertainment, one view is usually enough. But I'm almost never in the mood for that sort of thing. Unless I've had a really stressful week and I don't want to think anymore, which is rare.

If it's worth watching the first time, it's usually worth watching the second or third. At least for me.

I also don't get your pricing argument, either. I don't pay for cable or HBO. That alone would cost me over $1200 a year. There's no way I spend that on buying and renting the few shows and movies I like on DVD or iTunes.

[ecking]

Double post.

[ecking]

Originally Posted by mrjoec123

I never understood this argument. But then again, I don't watch movies and shows for the "intrigue." Like any Shakespeare play, a good movie or TV show isn't about the plot. I can almost always guess what's going to happen next, even during shows that I haven't seen. For me, it's about the dialog, the acting, the craft. I've watched the entire Sopranos series more than once already, and I'll probably watch it again every couple of years. Every time I find new things I didn't notice before. You almost never fully appreciate a good movie the first time you see it.

Now for light entertainment, one view is usually enough. But I'm almost never in the mood for that sort of thing. Unless I've had a really stressful week and I don't want to think anymore, which is rare.

If it's worth watching the first time, it's usually worth watching the second or third. At least for me.

I also don't get your pricing argument, either. I don't pay for cable or HBO. That alone would cost me over $1200 a year. There's no way I spend that on buying and renting the few shows and movies I like on DVD or iTunes.

Quoted for truth.

No curb, no, no entourage, no big love? WEAK

[zinfella]

Originally Posted by mrjoec123

I never understood this argument. But then again, I don't watch movies and shows for the "intrigue." Like any Shakespeare play, a good movie or TV show isn't about the plot. I can almost always guess what's going to happen next, even during shows that I haven't seen. For me, it's about the dialog, the acting, the craft. I've watched the entire Sopranos series more than once already, and I'll probably watch it again every couple of years. Every time I find new things I didn't notice before. You almost never fully appreciate a good movie the first time you see it.

Now for light entertainment, one view is usually enough. But I'm almost never in the mood for that sort of thing. Unless I've had a really stressful week and I don't want to think anymore, which is rare.

If it's worth watching the first time, it's usually worth watching the second or third. At least for me.

I also don't get your pricing argument, either. I don't pay for cable or HBO. That alone would cost me over $1200 a year. There's no way I spend that on buying and renting the few shows and movies I like on DVD or iTunes.

Foist, it wasn't an argument, it was an opinion. In addition to any one particular show, such as The Sopranos, I got ALL of HBO's content, not just one or two shows. I did record some, to be enjoyed at my leisure. There were, and are MANY reruns. If HBO costs you $1200 a year, then you are being swindled.

You watch for your reasons, and I watch for mine. If you guys can post here about how much you like the idea of buying individual episodes, or entire seasons, then I can voice my opinion that it's an expensive alternative.

[Shogun]

Originally Posted by gordy

Higher pricing is acceptable here, since, you have to pay for HBO. NBC content is free.

NBC content is not free. You pay with your eyeballs when you watch the ads. By choosing iTunes you pay with your wallet instead at $1.99.

HBO costs money up front for the same reason iTunes costs, because there are no ads. HBO as much as admits the parity by making several of their shows $1.99 an episode...

[Timon]

I'd like to see a rental service for TV shows, say $0.50 each or maybe a monthly flat rate. I could care less about buying them.