Steamd

Ok, so I just read this article on AppleInsider about how NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker said the following during a business breakfast:

“We know that Apple has destroyed the music business — in terms of pricing — and if we don’t take control, they’ll do the same thing on the video side,”

Umm…ok. So giving the customer what they want is bad business. That makes total sense. So, charging $4.99 for what used to only cost $1.99 is good business? You gotta come up with something better to prove your point than just “Apple bad, NBC good”.

“We wanted to take one show, it didn’t matter which one it was, and experiment and sell it for $2.99. We made that offer for months and they said no.?

Ok…so let’s do the math for a sec. Let’s take Heroes for example. I love Heroes and I certainly don’t want to miss any episodes. A season pass that would allow me to download and watch it on my TV any time I want would be pretty enticing. Last I checked, the average season pass on iTunes was around $35 to $40 for most TV shows. However, even with a measly $1 increase, that season pass could potentially be raised to
$50 or more. Now, I’m no dummy but why would I pay 33% more for something when I could wait and just buy the entire damn thing for $40 on DVD? Seems to me like you just don’t get it and simply want the consumer to pay more simply because you think they’re suckers and will pay it!

“Apple sold millions of dollars worth of hardware off the back of our content and made a lot of money. They did not want to share in what they were making off the hardware or allow us to adjust pricing.”

Oh, puh-lease! If it wasn’t for companies like Apple you’d still be in the dark ages! Actually it’s the other way around…more like you were the ones riding off the back of Apple’s innovation. There have been plenty of opportunities for another company to rise up and create something that can seriously compete with iTunes. Last I checked about the only company that is doing that is Amazon.

Mr. Zucker, let me ask you…when is the last time NBC Universal or any other media company has collected a share of the profits on the number of DVD and/or CD players sold in the last 10 years or so? How about never! Do you want to know why? Because you’re not entitled to it, that’s why! In fact, if it wasn’t for the sale of said hardware your company would never be able to make any money off the sale of CD’s and DVD’s anyways.

Now, Mr. Zucker, an iPod or any other music player similar to it is no different than a CD and/or DVD player. The only difference is that the media it uses is “soft” instead of “hard”. And don’t even talk to me about piracy, Mr. Zucker…I could just as easily copy a CD and DVD.

I buy stuff on iTunes and Amazon simply because I enjoy the convenience of not having to figure out where the hell I’m going to store all the damn CD’s I could have potentially bought. And when it comes to TV shows, I very much would like to have the convenience of watching them the way I want to watch them. One of the ways I DON’T want to watch them is on the web:

“It’s extraordinary. It’s like a small cable channel in our universe that is becoming very successful.”

You think it’s going to be very successful…but it won’t. When is the last time you realistically sat down with your family and watched a missed episode of Heroes or some other NBC show straight off the NBC website? Was the experience of watching it on a webpage as good as what it would be on your TV? Seriously, Mr. Zucker…is this really the future of television? No, it is not.

You know, I could have bought an Apple TV, hooked it up to my 42″ plasma, and bought a season of Heroes and Chuck. Not now. Apple won’t see a dime from the sale of an Apple TV…and neither will you. Instead, I’ll have to wait till you get a brain. Your company could have had $60 or more of my money so that I could have the convenience of watching Heroes and Chuck when I want and where I want. That’s what Apple TV is to me…but of course Apple is bad, NBC is good. Sorry…forgot about that.

Do you know what you’re creating? More pirates. What happens if I do miss an episode of Heroes? You think I’m gonna sit in front of my computer and watch a lame, stuttering version of it off your website? You’re sorely mistaken, sir! Given that there is no alternative, I’ll simply just download a copy off of a torrent site, burn it to a DVD, and watch on my 42″ plasma. Thanks, but no thanks, Mr. Zucker….I think you’re new business model sucks!