Starz, IFC, Manga Entertainment content arriving on iTunes
Television content from US premium network Starz, its Manga Entertainment subsidiary, and the independent Film Channel, began arriving on Apple Inc.'s iTunes digital download service on Tuesday.
The first offerings from Starz include two half-hour sitcoms, Hollywood Residential and Head Case, as well as four Anime favorites from Manga Entertainment : Tokko, Noein, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Tactics.
?I think they?re probably the best in episodic television,? Starz vice president Marc DeBevoise said of Apple during a panel on Monday. ?Netflix is big in subscription, other people VOD.?
DeBevoise also hinted that his firm's vast catalog of fitness content, for which it is the largest seller, could be next to turn up on iTunes. ?We have not even explored what to do with that digitally, to make as much money as we make on DVD and selling in the supermarket," he said.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Media-owned IFC on Tuesday also launched its first television content on the Apple download service. Initially, three series will be available, including The Whitest Kids U'Know, The Henry Rollins Show, and The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman.
The US version of the iTunes store now features over 600 television shows from 64 different television networks.
The first offerings from Starz include two half-hour sitcoms, Hollywood Residential and Head Case, as well as four Anime favorites from Manga Entertainment : Tokko, Noein, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Tactics.
?I think they?re probably the best in episodic television,? Starz vice president Marc DeBevoise said of Apple during a panel on Monday. ?Netflix is big in subscription, other people VOD.?
DeBevoise also hinted that his firm's vast catalog of fitness content, for which it is the largest seller, could be next to turn up on iTunes. ?We have not even explored what to do with that digitally, to make as much money as we make on DVD and selling in the supermarket," he said.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Media-owned IFC on Tuesday also launched its first television content on the Apple download service. Initially, three series will be available, including The Whitest Kids U'Know, The Henry Rollins Show, and The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman.
The US version of the iTunes store now features over 600 television shows from 64 different television networks.
Comments
And as long as I'm wishing on a star, make it a rental/subscription basis. 95% of what I watch on TV I don't need to watch more than once. So no need to fill up my hard drive with it.
Or a suggestion to the studios...start offering your shows in podcast format (HD please!). You can even leave the commercials in if you want (I actually sometime like the promos for other shows during the commercial breaks, it's how you find new stuff to watch). Then I can subscribe to your show and not worry about all the outages, poor signals, and horrible DVR from Comcast!
Is that some new eco-vision station?
They need to start offering TV shows in HD, at least 720p. I know this would make it incompatible with iPods; but I don't want to watch standard definition, 4:3 TV on my 16:9 screen. I would love to dump Comcast. And the selection of shows iTunes offers, combined with over-the-air broadcasts, would pretty much allow me to do that, if only the quality was available.
And as long as I'm wishing on a star, make it a rental/subscription basis. 95% of what I watch on TV I don't need to watch more than once. So no need to fill up my hard drive with it.
Or a suggestion to the studios...start offering your shows in podcast format (HD please!). You can even leave the commercials in if you want (I actually sometime like the promos for other shows during the commercial breaks, it's how you find new stuff to watch). Then I can subscribe to your show and not worry about all the outages, poor signals, and horrible DVR from Comcast!
Apple TV is a Comcast killer waiting to happen.
If Apple (1) made TV content available by subscription, (2) the subscription price was comparable to Comcast, (3) had support from the four major networks and a critical mass of the cable networks, (4) worked out live content deals for news, sports and live events, and (5) a critical mass of the content was available in HD, I would dump Comcast so fast its head would spin.
Cable stinks. It's overpriced and has a terrible user experience. I can't even easily turn off channels i hate. Why would I want to watch the home shopping network?
"the Interdependent Film Channel"
Is that some new eco-vision station?
No, it's the touchy-feely network!
Apple TV is a Comcast killer waiting to happen.
If Apple (1) made TV content available by subscription, (2) the subscription price was comparable to Comcast, (3) had support from the four major networks and a critical mass of the cable networks, (4) worked out live content deals for news, sports and live events, and (5) a critical mass of the content was available in HD, I would dump Comcast so fast its head would spin.
That's a lot of ifs. I personally wouldn't expect all that for five years. Apple seems to go one step at a time, one major update in their media store each year, so that gives you one year for each bullet point.