HBO wants to bring the Sopranos to your iPod

Time Warner Inc.\'s HBO cable network hopes to make a deal at some point with Apple Computer to deliver programming to the video iPod, the network\'s chief executive said on Thursday.

\"I\'m very excited by the video iPod,\" said Chris Albrecht during a press event at HBO\'s offices. \"At some point, I think we would have some arrangement with them.\"

Albrecht\'s comments came as HBO and Cingular Wireless jointly announced a multiyear exclusive deal, where HBO will beam clips from its daily diet of programming — include hit television shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Sopranos — to Cingular mobile phones.

HBO has also reportedly agreed to send Cingular customers exclusive clips of future hit shows.

Apple\'s iTunes music and video store offers customers the option of purchasing digital copies of some hit television series for $1.99 each. The store currently features shows from television networks ABC and NBC.

28 Comments

damiansipko

said about 17 years ago

I hope Curb comes to iTunes. Man, that show is funny.

keymacer

said about 17 years ago

don't forget to pester them networks to open up to other countries too. damn licensing....

melgross

said about 17 years ago

But what does exclusive really mean?

If it just refers to phone networks, fine. But it didn't actually say.

And if they did a deal with Apple, would that be exclusive to the iPod rather than to any other portable video players?

That's what we need to know.

tenobell

said about 17 years ago

HBO would be a real coup for iTunes. After HBO everyone else will fall in line.

Sounds as though the exclusive deal with Cingular would be for clips of shows yet to broadcast in the future.

A deal with Apple would be for shows that have already broadcast.