I saw an article in the NY Times today that said NBC would be removing its content from the iTunes Store, which includes shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, and The Office. I sent an email to their black hole of a customer service dept. Here’s hoping it has some effect. Reprinted here:
I just read about NBC’s decision to remove its content from the iTunes Store when the contract with Apple is up. While I respect NBC’s right to choose how to distribute their content, this decision has removed the most convenient way for me to watch the shows that I used to download on iTunes: Battlestar Galactica and Heroes.
If these shows had not been available on iTunes I never would have started watching them and it’s likely that if they disappear I will stop watching them as the alternatives - watching them as aired on TV, watching them on NBC’s website, or downloading them illegally via torrents - are not acceptable to me. I should also say that the latter alternative, torrents, is the closest to the iTunes experience for me and thus is the most likely one for me to engage in.
All that to say that I hope you can overcome whatever obstacles to placing the content on iTunes you encountered and to remind you not to be greedy, as the existing agreement yielded prices that were reasonable for me and I believe that if your plans for increased prices, video bundling, or other complications were allowed by Apple that you would lose me as a customer as surely as you will by removing your content. Thanks for listening.
Update: Another letter has appeared on iLounge — it’s a better read than mine.