This little bit of information is probably obvious to some people, but it wasn’t to me, and evidently has been missed by a lot of bloggers. Everyone who keeps track of Apple knows that NBC Universal pulled all of its video content from the iTunes Music Store. Depending on your various preconceptions, this is either a sign that Apple is doomed (of course) or that NBC is run by idiots (of course) or some random and elaborate conspiracy theory.
Today, on Sci Fi (which is part of NBC Universal), I saw an ad for Battlestar Galactica Razor, and noticed something interesting: it’s on HD-DVD. And suddenly, I realized exactly why NBC Universal pulled its content from iTMS. It’s Platform Wars, Episode IV: The Empire Strikes Back.
When you see HD-DVD, think Microsoft. When you see Blu-ray, think Sony, Apple, and most everyone else. That’s a little unfair. Some other companies with no specific Microsoft or Apple affiliation have simply been (or felt) forced to pick a side. Others, such as Toshiba, are trying to do to Sony what Sony has done to them. But you know from the existence of MSNBC that NBC has always leaned — hard — towards the Microsoft camp.
So it’s all about allegiance to the Microsoft DRM-everywhere camp.
I guess the “NBC is run by idiots” theory wasn’t too far off the mark.