Apple plans exclusive podcast content (from: Frank Barnako)
http://barnako.typepad.com/barnakocom/2005/06/apple_plans_exc.html
Al Franken’s daily radio show will be a podcast when Apple Computer is expected to release an update of its iTunes Music Store by the end of July.
Broadcast on TV over the Sundance Channel, Franken’s show will be what Apple said would be its first "exclusive" podcast.
For Air America and Franken, the deal’s a no brainer. The radio network is having no ratings success. It makes sense to go door-to-door, or ear-to-ear, for listeners.
The news of course is that Apple plans "exclusive" channels of programming. Presumably, some of the it will come with a cost. In which case, Audible.com now has even more than just a few NPR radio shows to worry about leaving the catalog. Here comes Apple into the pay-per-download business.
Reporting the story, AdAge said the deal also will give Apple video clips from Franken’s Sundance show for streaming. The report made no mention of whether the audio and video downloads will come with a price tag.
Sundance is co-owned by NBC Universal and Viacom. I own shares of Viacom.