It’s interesting to see that iTunes in the UK is now finally offering some TV programmes for anyone with a video iPod to actually watch.
More to the point, there might actually be a reason to get an Apple TV now (although I suspect that an Xbox 360 might be slightly wiser).
Previously there was a limited range of Pixar shorts or music videos to download. But today Apple has started selling a range of Disney sourced programming including Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy, with each episode costing £1.89.
I’m not completely convinced that it’s worth my while paying for these downloads when I don’t yet have an iPod video (although there are reports of what will almost certainly be new video iPods being launched on September 5 – think iPhone without the phone bit). And I also need to know what the quality is like. If I was to get an Apple TV and plug it into my (so far mythical) HDTV, would I get the programming in HDTV format? That’s certainly not been the case in the US to date.
The programmes on offer seem to run up until the most recent series, but I’ll be very interested to see how future releases. Channel 4 has in the past offered downloads of Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives with releases timed to coincide with their airings of the shows. But we all know that C4 won’t start showing the new series of these show until January next year, yet they’ll be starting on ABC in the US in September or October this year. So when will episodes hit iTunes UK? I’d expect that releases will still be timed to synchronise with UK broadcast dates, but in a global economy can we be sure? Time will tell. Lost is likely to be less of an issue with Sky One likely to be airing it in the same week as it airs in the US as it’s trying to do with 24. And Channel 4 does have 4OD don’t forget. But many of its US shows are available for rent rather than for purchase (99p for 7 days v £1.89 forever – hmmm). While Five’s nascent download service has different rules for different programmes: an episode of CSI will cost me £1.49 to buy, while an episode of Grey’s Anatomy is only available to rent for 99p.
Price is the other main issue. The complete first season of Ugly Betty costs £32.99 on iTunes, but the DVD box set is only £29.99 at Amazon. And the DVD version is not tied to a limited iTunes account. I can rip those DVDs to my PSP should I want to (albeit not quite within the letter of the law); I can lend those DVDs to all my friends; and I can sell the set on eBay when I’m bored of it. I should say, in fairness, that the complete third season of Lost also costs £32.99 whereas the DVD boxset is closer to £45 at Amazon. However, that’s mainly because the UK distributors of this series like to release it first in two parts, and then as a boxset – a practice that’s becoming all too prevalent, being replicated with Heroes and Prison Break in the UK. The US release is £32.99 at Playusa.
What’s going to be interesting going forward is seeing when UK programmes start to arrive on iTunes. Why wouldn’t ITV offer episodes of Coronation Street relatively cheaply? Certainly, I can catch up online for free, but some might pay 49p to watch on their journey into work. And it’ll be really interesting to see when BBC shows end up there – perhaps indie produced ones like Kudos’s Spooks, particularly when they’ll be available via the BBC’s iPlayer.
At the moment however, there’s very little incentive for me to buy programmes via iTunes.