NBC Are Jackasses, Pt. II
Posted on September 25, 2007Everybody and their blog has known about how NBC are dumbasses since they cancelled their deal with iTunes. Now anybody who used to buy their episodes of Heroes or The Office the honest way are now going to have to find a different way to acquire the latest episode of their favorite NBC programming. Usually within an hour of the show’s airing. And in high definition too. Lovin’ it. The shows were already made and paid for with advertising; sales through iTunes were basically free money for NBC.
But there’s one aspect I had not yet thought of about the falling out, not until watching the premiere of a new show called Journeyman last night. (Pretty meh show, but that’s besides the point. All I’m saying is I won’t be tuning in next week.) When NBC first signed on with iTunes, there was an episode of The Office centered all around a new iPod that was much desired by everyone in the office. Just the beginning of loads of Apple product placement in NBC’s shows. Most, if not all, of NBC’s shows for the season have already been filmed and are at least some of the way through the editing and post production process. During Journeyman, some guy travels back to 1987, and promptly notices that his phone doesn’t have service. There is about three seconds of a close up of an iPhone’s screen, literally filling the frame. About 15 minutes later in the episode, there’s another close up, lasting nearly six seconds this time. I imagine there’s going to be lots more product placement across NBC’s programming this year, a bittersweet reminder of what once was. 
I was checking TV Guide’s online listings for what time the Heroes premiere began. It started right after a new show called Chuck. Sometimes doing keyword advertising isn’t the greatest. There seems to be a bit of a disconnect in this picture:
jWiltshire.org will be going the Kubrick theme until further notice, because I didn’t like how k2 was playing with the new Wordpress. I’ll whomp up something new soon.
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the Chuck show was entertaining.
Good post, totally agree. Seems remarkably dumb to leave the original arrangement when Apple is continuing to consolidate its one stop entertainment juggernaut of iTunes throughout the country (and world). Not sure if I’m going to like downloading yet another application just to watch The Office through “NBC Direct.” And yes, I am one of those people that DID buy the season through iTunes, largely because I often was not home by 7:30PM. Guess that’s more $ NBC won’t be collecting.