Oh, NBC… when will you learn?

So NBC tells Apple to stick it. Apple says good luck with that. And now NBC is going it alone. Didn’t anyone pay attention when the music labels attempted to do this with their highly-restrictive, DRM-plagued, over-priced music stores of yore?

FSJ chimes in and, as usual, he nails it.

So, fair enough. Bring on the big media cluster fuck. Roll out all the different systems that don’t work together. Bring on all the different kinds of software, none of which will work as well as iTunes. Bring on a zillion different user interfaces, a zillion accounts you need to set up, a zillion new usernames and passwords and a list of which services can work on which devices in which format. Right. When you’re good and tired of that, we’ll be here waiting for you.

Just like the iTunes Music Store, the only way online video distribution is going to succeed is if all the studios agree to common prices, consistent DRM (or none! Imagine that?), and centralized availability. I should be able to get every TV show / Movie from one source, and I shouldn’t have to worry if it’ll play on the various devices I own. I want to watch it on my computer, and my TV, and iPhone, and my iPod. And I’m not going to pay for the same content multiple times to have that privilege. Of course this assumes you’ve bought into the Apple platform, but come on… is there anything available that’s actually better?

Now, all that said - this is an interesting play by NBC, simply because it appears to be a last-ditch effort to hold on to their old business model. At the moment, customers are currently accustom to paying nothing for their television content. Yes, I recognize that you’re paying the cable company, but you’re not paying for the video content itself. Those costs are subsidized by commercials you’re forced to watch.

Give away the content for free online; force viewers to watch commercials; maintain traditional revenue channels; screw Apple and retain control.

I’m sure that sounded good in the boardroom, but it won’t work. Just like the old music stores, DRM, price inconsistencies, and technical complications are all going to get in the way and kill the experience. It’ll be too complicated for the masses, and it’ll eventually die.

I give them 8 months before they’ve got all their content back on iTunes, and 12-24 months before they abandon this new venture altogether.

Now, if only Apple would allow me to download video content directly from the Apple TV. Methinks that, just like the iPod Touch/iPhone there’ll be a iTunes WiFi Music Store available in an update soon.

Or so I hope.