ABC to allow consumers to buy content in its back library through iView
The ABC is set to offer consumers the ability to access their favourite programs to buy on iTunes once the”catch up window” has expired on its iView service, from next year.
Director of television for the ABC Richard Finlayson described the service, which was announced as part of the programming line-up announcements for 2015, as an “Australian TV first”, with the broadcaster set to take a percentage of each purchase.
He said: “The digital revolution steps up a gear in 2015 and our commitment to Australian stories, on the ABC for free. However, in an Australian TV industry first in the first quarter of next year Australian users will have the ability to buy and download current series of ABC classics without leaving the iView application.”
Awesome in theory, shit if it means I have to create an Apple account. Not even the tantalisation of an iView back catalogue is enough to warrant installing iTunes.
iTunes, ay? World’s most popular piece of malware.
Yeah, nah.
I understand this is a pilot, but what about Google Play? Plenty of stuff shown on ABC is available there.
As well, I would like to see the ABC set up its own “download-to-own” shopfront for back-catalogue TV content rather than or in conjunction with the iTunes shopfront. It could then be a way to legitimise the concept of having video content available under this kind of business model and, to the seam extent, encourage others to achieve this path for distributing content.
Do Apple still take a 30% cut. If so, no thanks. I would want all of my heard-earned going to the ABC.
I have the same concerns about iTunes. Why not direct from ABC downloads? I want to financially support the ABC, not Apple.