Despite Spat, New NBC Shows Appear on iTunes

Wasn't NBC supposed to be turning its back on Apple, and vice versa? That's what I thought, too, but now comes news that two new NBC shows just popped up on iTunes. Is it a sign that tempers have cooled and negotiations have resumed? Or is the corpse just twitching?

Gizmodo reports that the pilots for a couple of new NBC series—"Chuck" and "Journeyman"—are available on iTunes. Also, a $40 "season pass" is available for "Chuck," although not for "Journeyman.' I went ahead and bought the "Journeyman" pilot and yes, it works. Is it a mistake? Doubtful—both shows are brand-new, so it's not like someone forgot to turn off the "new episode" switch for a returning series like "The Office." Does Apple have a side deal with the production company that makes the new shows? Maybe, although it would have to have deals with two studios: "Chuck" is a Warner Brothers production, while "Journeyman" comes from Twentieth Century Fox.

So what's going on? Is this simply a one- (or two-) off thing? Or does it mean that Apple and NBC are still talking? I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the two sides are working behind the scenes to strike a deal. NBC may be furious that Steve Jobs wants to slash prices on iTunes TV shows, but it certainly doesn't want to shut out millions of iPod users, either (who, thanks to DRM, can't watch NBC shows offered on Amazon Unbox or the new NBC Direct service). We're probably witnessing the thing where you storm out of the office at the auto dealership, only to come back in and make a deal for that new car. Then again, sometimes the salesman makes you so mad that you stomp out for good. Time will tell—the clock runs out in December.

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NBC Adds Two New Series to iTunes [Gizmodo]