The US-based watchers of all things Apple have noticed that, in America, at least, cable channel HBO has struck a deal with Jobs & company to distribute some of its shows, including The Sopranos, Rome and Sex and the City. What makes this announcement potentially more important is that episodes of some series are retailing for US$2.99, while others retail at the ‘standard’ iTunes price of $1.99.
Previously, Apple has stood firm on the principle of a one-price-fits-all structure. There is now some speculation about whether this agreement by HBO could spell the beginning of a store-wide re-evaluation of that policy.
As usual, this deal is country-specific at the moment. However, in the UK (and with much less attention), US-based distributor Universal has, since last week, begun selling some of its shows direct to UK iTunes customers. Alongside current shows including Heroes and House, they are also offering the first seasons of both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Seventies cult classic The Incredible Hulk. While they may be archive shows, their release is as important to iTunes’ pricing structure as the HBO deal in America: whereas all TV shows available via iTunes UK up until now have been available for a whopping £1.89 per episode, each show of either Hercules or Hulk can be purchased for ‘just’ £1.19.
At current exchange rates, that’s still more money for an old TV show than our American cousins pay per episode for most of their up-to-date ones. But at least it’s a sign that iTunes pricing can go down as well as up.
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