HBO just added to iTunes, some episodes cost $2.99

It's shocking how far off the mark content providers still are. $2.99? Are you kidding me?

I've felt for a long time that networks and studios could almost completely eliminate the cable middleman and pocket way more per viewer if they'd get smart on their pricing.

Cable costs are staggering. A digital premium package most places will have you shelling out well over $1,000 per year.

But even at $1.99, entire seasons reach insane prices. For a digital file that I can't burn to DVD. Without any of the extras that would come with a DVD.

So I think the typical consumer is priced out of most series, and what's the point of buying one episode? I suspect lots of people use iTunes like I do -- to pick up an episode a couple times a year when the TiVo screws up. Very rarely, I'll buy a season if it's in the same time slot with something else I'm TiVoing.

That's $25 or $30 a year. Get shows on there for reasonable prices, however -- $8 to $10 a season, and maybe 59 to 79 cents -- and I'd probably buy a dozen or more and punt cable altogether.

So for now, screw 'em.

I bought the first episode of The Wire to watch today and was stunned that it wasn't widescreen.

What gives on that?

I refuse to buy the shows from the iTS at the 2.99/ep price. Why would it be more expensive for the same inferior quality and old seasons. 1.99 is good enough for the other shows, therefore it should be good enough for the other 3 shows.. 2.99 is a ripoff.

As much as I want New Media to takeover TV, and DVD's I hope to hell no one buys into this shit. 2.99 for 1 episode of TV is criminal.

Yay! For Deadwood and The Wire. Boo for the price per episode. Oh well, Netflix already paid off for these shows, and I got to keep a copy too. :P

Boo to differential pricing. Now I have to do a different cost-benefit consideration for HBO? I don't think so. Part of the magic of iTMS is having a solid price per episode so that I can make an easy judgement. Sadly, HBO and NBC seem to be more interested in playing older confusion games that look at customers as suckers.

But, it's all moot for me right now, as the HBO titles don't appear in the Canada store. It's still a lot of car shows and b-grade comedies, with some notable exceptions.

Funny that pricing like this was why NBC left iTunes... probably Apple has had it in the works for awhile but there was no way in hell that Steve was going to let NBC be the first to get it.

i don't have issues with content that is twice as longer being more than the standard price. i know A&E shows Sopranos here and after being edited + commercials its over 1H:15M long.

it costs more to produce longer shows compared to a 30 min sitcom/comedy and it also costs twice as much to host it in terms of bandwidth.

The Wire, a full hour of probably the best drama produced in the last 10 years for US$1.99.
Flight of the Conchords, half an hour of whimsical, low budget comedy (which I do enjoy) for US$1.99.
Is that pricing structure flexible enough?

I bought the Flight of the Conchords seeason 1 DVD for significantly less than US$24 it would cost to buy all 12 episodes from iTunes and I live in 'rip-off Britain'. You americans know you're in trouble when it's cheaper to buy something in the UK.

Wow, $2.99.

Good luck with that HBO........

I guess Bittorrent really is your friend.