CBS talks iTunes distribution with Apple
CBS is conferring with several companies, including Apple Computer, over potential digital video distribution deals, a company executive said last week.
The network on Friday announced that it is making the popular reality-television show "Survivor" available for download on the CBS.com Web site for $1.99 an episode.
CBS is likely to make more of its content available, depending on the success of the "Survivor" effort, Larry Kramer, president of CBS Digital Media, said in an interview that was covered at CBS MarketWatch.
Kramer said if sales go well, CBS will definitely add more content to its Web site. Initially, the episodes won't have commercials, but CBS is also looking into possible sponsorship arrangements, he said.
In an effort to attract new viewers, CBS has signed content distribution pacts with Comcast, which is offering certain shows on-demand, and Google, which is launching a video service for TV shows and movies, MarketWatch reported.
Kramer also said CBS is in talks about other distribution deals with a wide range of parties, including Apple.
Unlike Apple's iTunes service, which serves up downloadable video files that can be saved on a users computer, CBS said episodes of "Survivor" purchased through its Web site can only be viewed up to 24 hours from the time they are ordered.
The network on Friday announced that it is making the popular reality-television show "Survivor" available for download on the CBS.com Web site for $1.99 an episode.
CBS is likely to make more of its content available, depending on the success of the "Survivor" effort, Larry Kramer, president of CBS Digital Media, said in an interview that was covered at CBS MarketWatch.
Kramer said if sales go well, CBS will definitely add more content to its Web site. Initially, the episodes won't have commercials, but CBS is also looking into possible sponsorship arrangements, he said.
In an effort to attract new viewers, CBS has signed content distribution pacts with Comcast, which is offering certain shows on-demand, and Google, which is launching a video service for TV shows and movies, MarketWatch reported.
Kramer also said CBS is in talks about other distribution deals with a wide range of parties, including Apple.
Unlike Apple's iTunes service, which serves up downloadable video files that can be saved on a users computer, CBS said episodes of "Survivor" purchased through its Web site can only be viewed up to 24 hours from the time they are ordered.
Comments
well, i thought i was.
ANYWAY...
what sense does that make?
such garbage.
josa
Originally posted by kim kap sol
2 bucks for a crummy Survivors episode that expires in 24h? Eat shit CBS.
right on!
1) you have 24 hours to DOWNLOAD the episode you purchased. you could just watch it in your browser once if you wanted, or you can save it to your computer..fair enough
2) not mac compatible... that in and of itself should be enough reason for CBS to agree to sell stuff on iTunes..
random rant: is it really that difficult to make standard websites that play multimedia on both PCs and Macs? come on, people..
Originally posted by DeaPeaJay
And on top of all that garbage they want to make you watch ads in the process of watching your purchase, within 24 hours!!!! That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. There's no way Jobs is going to let CBS on iTunes with stuff like that.
I expect that there's also some legal issues with selling material that includes paid promotional material, as well.
One of the better things about the iTMS is that for my 99¢ (or $1.99 for videos) I get my stuff without having the ads attached. I hope that if content providers want to include advertising as part of their content, they will ask for correspondingly less of my money.
I wonder who got the catalog in CBS's divorce with Viacom? I'm guessing CBS kept the stuff that originally aired as CBS programming. Viacom is already at least several weeks ahead of them in getting content to market on iTunes, since Comedy Central, MTV, etc., content has been available for the last few weeks.
CBS only owns about half their more prominent shows, including "Survivor," "Amazing Race" and the "CSI" franchise. "Without a Trace," "Cold Case," "How I Met Your Mother" and other are produced off the reservation.
Some of the bigger names in the CBS catalog are "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Murphy Brown," "Murder, She Wrote," "Dallas," "Knot's Landing," "Falcon Crest" and "The Dukes of Hazzard." None of that sounds very Gen.Y to me, but, hey, I never expected to see "The Munsters" get into the game.
Originally posted by Robin Hood
CBS can bite my shiny metal ass!
You go, Bender.
Whatever.
Originally posted by tdamon
[B]If you took the time to actually check out CBS's download site you'd find out two things:
1) you have 24 hours to DOWNLOAD the episode you purchased. you could just watch it in your browser once if you wanted, or you can save it to your computer..fair enough
That's wrong! It clearly says "Viewing/Downloading Period?24 hours from rental"
Here, check the page out yourself.
http://www.cbs.com/ondemand/episodes.php?mpid=2009
Originally posted by rok
wow, i can watch an episode with ads after it airs? guess what. i can do that with my mid-90's VCR. and as long as i don't tape over it, it's mine to keep. sheesh...
Hear, hear!
Originally posted by rok
wow, i can watch an episode with ads after it airs? guess what. i can do that with my mid-90's VCR. and as long as i don't tape over it, it's mine to keep. sheesh...
Exactly. I don't see who in their right mind would pay for an episode that expires especially with Tivo/DVR's etc. They will get very few takers on this and then they will come on board with iTunes.
From what I see on the CBS web site my understanding is that it does expire 24 hours from purchase time even if downloaded. Also, the button you click on the CBSOD site says "Rent Now" when you go into iTunes shopping cart it says "Buy Now." To me this is a big difference, when you buy something, it's yours to keep, when you rent it, you have to give it back. Off on a tangent here, but I think that these Cable Company On Demand rental viewing periods are ridiculous, 24 hours. It should be at least 7 Days like a video store.
Originally posted by rok
and as long as i don't tape over it, it's mine to keep. sheesh... [/B]
Uhh, you can always buy another tape, you know. You don't ever have to tape over it, if you don't want to.
And, yeah, I know you know that. I'm just making a more general point. DVR's mostly don't let you "tape" any more than their HD holds. After that, it's delete, delete, baby!
Originally posted by melgross
After that, it's delete, delete, baby!
Or burn it out to DVD! I have the first two seasons of 'Ed' on DVD from when they re-ran on TBS a while back.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
Or burn it out to DVD! I have the first two seasons of 'Ed' on DVD from when they re-ran on TBS a while back.
The problem is that a lot of these DVR's won't let you do that. You have to use the analog stream to the tv instead. Sometimes that's just too much of a hassle. I can do it through my McIntosh control center.
Soon, we won't even be able to do that either. At least with HDef.