I Heart iTunes, Part 972 (Giving ABC/Disney Some Love, Too)

I've been meaning to mention this for over a week, but just haven't had the time to write. Disney has done a lot of things in recent years that could be considered bad ideas or just downright stupid. Losing the deal with Pixar would probably be close to the top of the list, as would blaming traditional hand-drawn animation for the failures of their recent animated films rather than the poor writing. However, I feel like they deserve some credit for looking forward rather than back.

Disney is now making episodes of some of their more popular shows available for download in the iTunes music store. These can be viewed on one of the newer video enabled iPods or on your computer using iTunes. These aren't rentals either; you buy it and own it. No limits, no returns. The cost? 2 bucks. Actually, $1.99 for each commercial-free episode. For an entire season, this is still more than the cost of a DVD set, but not too much and you can get each episode soon after it airs rather than waiting 6 months. It's not going to compete with DVRs, but it might bring them new viewers and some extra profit. It also gives viewers more choice in how they want to watch the show.

So far, they have put out the first seasons of both Lost and Desperate Houswives as well as new episodes from this season for not only those two but also Night Stalker and That's So Raven. Do I think that this is the greatest idea ever and that it will change the world? No, of course not, but I do think that it shows that the thinking at Disney is moving in a positive direction and both companies (Disney and Apple) deserve recognition for it.

Until later...