HBO Adds Select Series to iTunes Store

NEW YORK/CUPERTINO, May
13: Apple has agreed to a flexible pricing deal with HBO that brings series
like The Sopranos and Sex
and the City to the iTunes Store.

Television fare from the
likes of ABC, The CW and Showtime, among other networks, is currently on offer
at the iTunes Store for $1.99 per episode. Apple had previously been resistant
to variable pricing options, much to the frustration of NBC Universal, which
pulled all of its content from the store last year in a dispute about per
episode fees. With the HBO deal, Sex and the City, The Wire and Flight of the Conchords are $1.99 per episode, while The Sopranos, Deadwood and Rome are priced
at $2.99 per episode.

"We're very excited
to make these legendary HBO programs available on the iTunes Store," said
Henry McGee, the president of HBO Video. "Whether catching up on Sex
and the City in anticipation of
its upcoming movie release or reliving a favorite Sopranos episode, we think viewers will love being able to
watch these shows on their iPod or iPhone."

Currently, iTunes users
can download all six seasons—94 episodes—of Sex and the City. Seasons one of The Wire, Flight of the Conchords, Rome
and Deadwood are available, as
well as seasons one and six of The Sopranos.

The iTunes Store houses
800-plus shows, with more than 150 million episodes sold since the online
outlet added video downloads to its offerings.

—By Mansha Daswani