HBO to Apple: Open the !#@&!#$! Canned Peaches!
by John Paczkowski
Posted on May 12, 2008 at 9:32 AM PT
HBO (TWX) has reportedly managed to do what NBC Universal (GE) failed so miserably at last year: convince Apple (AAPL) to adopt variable pricing at its iTunes digital media storefront.
Sources close to the network tell Portfolio.com that Apple will soon bring its programming to iTunes along with a separate and distinct pricing structure. No word yet on what that pricing structure is, but presumably it’s a lot more favorable than the one NBC Universal had.
An interesting move for Apple, and one that marks a shift in the company’s hard-line views of pricing. Perhaps the HBO arrangement is unique, perhaps not. But even if it is, it won’t be long before the entire content industry begins demanding similar deals.
