“CBS is crossing another digitial threshold – literally. The broadcast network, Wednesday unveiled plans to distribute three episodes of prime-time sci-fi series “Threshold” online via CBS.com… It also follows ABC’s surprising deal with Apple Computer to distribute episodes of some hit prime-time shows as paid downloads via iTunes,” Gavin O’Malley reports for MediaPost.
CBS Digital President Larry Kramer “said he has had talks with Apple about distributing CBS shows on iTunes. When Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the video iPod in early October, Apple had already struck a distribution deal with rival network ABC. Consumers can now buy episodes of five of ABC’s premiere shows, including ‘Lost’ and ‘Desperate Housewives,’ through iTunes for $1.99 each,” O’Malley reports. “Subscription and ad-supported models, as well as selling content piecemeal via iTunes, are all options being considered by CBS Digital. Kramer said a partnership with Apple is a strong possibility as long as the ‘economic proposal is fair enough.’ Perhaps a indication of things to come, soon after the video iPod debuted, Kramer announced that CBS would distribute its free podcasts, from ’60 Minutes’ to the long-running soap ‘Guiding Light,’ on Apple’s iTunes Music Store.”
Full article here.
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CBS features episodes of ‘Threshold’ TV series on Web – November 02, 2005
We’ll just repeat a large portion of our take from yesterday regarding CBS’s “Threshold” online episodes: Take a look at the video CBS is offering (for a limited time only) here – don’t worry, you’re not going legally blind, it really does look like crap using Microsoft’s Windows Media Player plug-in.
Now, even Microsoft’s WMP can look better than that, we must admit. CBS needs to stop being afraid and embrace new media. Give us good quality video, forget about the “driving traffic to the website” foolishness, and drop the “limited time only” nonsense. This is typical of network TV thinking: too limited, virtually useless and sucks as a promotion. It’s also a prime example of why the old guard media should thank their lucky stars for Steve Jobs’ Apple.
CBS, the answer has already been provided for you. It’s called iTunes. Gather up your courage to make a real decision for once, give Apple a call, then go ahead and make Threshold available in good quality, sans the ads, for $1.99 an episode. That way we can buy it, catch up on back episodes of a show we think we might like and perhaps begin to watch it regularly.