Apple is on a roll with securing video content agreements to flesh out its iTunes Music Store lineup. The iPod maker has struck several deals recently, including significant agreements with Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and Warner Bros.
On Monday, Apple announced a programming deal with TBS that adds programming from CNN, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network to the mix. The new content makes content such as "Johnny Bravo" and original episodes of the award-winning documentary series "CNN Presents" available for US$2 each.
Last week, Warner Bros. teamed up with iTunes to offer viewer favorites such as "Friends" and animated classics like "The Jetsons," along with a slew of other programs in its vast television library.
Content providers see the allure of iTunes. The store has already sold more than 35 million videos. The overall market for video downloads, though, is even more alluring.
The download video service market is expected to grow from $1 billion in revenue in 2004 to about $5 billion by 2008, according to In-Stat.
That may seem like a small figure compared with the nearly $50billion in annual revenues the movie industry generates, but the growthrate is worthy of notice, analysts said, especially in an emergingon-demand content era.
Customers are demonstrating that they are willing to pay, rather than wait, for content.
"There are a number of ways you can look at television content. Somesee it as broadcast. They want people to watch it and see thecommercials. That pays for the programming. They see that as the mainchannel of delivery and think that"s where it should be contained,"Wilcox noted.
"There"s also another way to look at it -- fromthe perspective of enthusiasts," he continued. "For certain shows, likea "24" or "Lost," where missing an episode can be detrimental, havingthe ability to download occasional episodes can be important toviewership."