How Bob Iger Saved Network TV

So for instance, shows like Law and Order, CSI, and all their different versions can fetch more than 1mm dollars per episode. Most other shows fall in mid six figure price ranges and can go as low as 50k to 75k for hit reality shows like Survivor. The reality shows go for far less because everyone knows the winner already.

But what if CBS sold Survivor episodes the day after it aired like ABC is with Lost — What if they sold them not just on ITunes Store, but through CinemaNow, MovieLink, Netflix, Walmart Online, wherever.

Think some people would buy them to keep up with the action — Possibly to sample the show — Think they might sell more than 75k downloads at $1.99 each ?

Could this move have created a new market that could be comparable in size for some shows and more money for others than the current syndication market — —Mark Cuban —How Bob Iger Saved Network TV (Blogmaverick)

This column discusses Apple’s move to sell TV show downloads. This might be another “Information Purity Directive“-smashing moment for Apple, and represents a second chance for Hollywood.

For the past few years, the TV that I’ve most enjoyed has been on DVDs. Not all of it old stuff, like 1970s Wonder Woman, but more recent stuff, too, like Farscape.

The new commercial model is clearly for those who are young and have time to fill their days with a lot of media. I don’t have time to find out whether I would like the TV that’s currently on, much less time to re-watch copies that I purchased.

When I was in my 20s, before I morphed into Daddyman, would I have paid $1.99 per episode of Star Trek the Next Generation or Babylon 5, if I could get a clean, commercial-free copy, and also know that I was supporting a show that I loved? When my part-time work schedule was flexible enough that, if I had wanted extra spending cash, I would have just worked more hours?

Yes, I probably would have.