NBC Universal has decided not to renew its contract to sell digital downloads of television shows on iTunes. This report came after the network allegedly failed to come to agreement with Apple’s pricing on the said deal. NBC, which is the No. 1 supplier of digital video to Apple’s online store, notified Apple of its decision late yesterday.
NBC Universal is also seeking better piracy controls and wants Apple to allow it to bundle videos to increase revenue.
The decision came as a surprise as NBC Universal became the second major iTunes supplier recently to have a rift with Apple over pricing and packaging matters. In July, the Universal Music Group of Vivendi, the world’s biggest music corporation, said it would not renew its long-term contract with iTunes. Instead, Universal Music said it would market music to Apple at will, which would allow it to remove its songs from iTunes on short notice.
Among the most popular NBC Universal shows available for sale on iTunes are “Battlestar Galactica,†“The Office†and “Heroes.†The company has been talking to iTunes about offering Universal movies, but has not done so to date because of piracy concerns.
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