NBC plans to supply TV series on iTunes

NBC on Tuesday announced plans to make its newest television series available for free on Apple's iTunes store 10 days before its network premiere.

The move marked the first time that a broadcast network has debuted a series for free on iTunes, and offered another sign of the experimentation the industry is undertaking as it attempts to adapt its business model to new forms of digital distribution.

The major US broadcast networks have signed a slew of new digital distribution deals following ABC's ground-breaking agreement in October to sell episodes of Desperate Housewives and Lost through iTunes.

Investors have widely focused on that arrangement, and subsequent ones undertaken by CBS, NBC and Fox, as a way to generate new revenues fromprogrammes that had already aired on network television.

However, NBC's approach with Conviction, a legal drama, reflects an effort to use iTunes as a promotional tool - particularly among young viewers. CBS tried a similar strategy late last year by broadcasting an episode of the UPN programme Everybody Hates Chris on Google.

"The multi-platform efforts are a buzz-generator for certain shows such as Conviction, and we want to pro-actively reach out to these viewers who have many options for entertainment," said Jeff Zucker, chief executive of the NBC Entertainment Group.

The pilot episode of Conviction was to be available for free beginning last night, and then for $1.99 following its March 3 network premiere.

As part of the agreement, NBC plans to tout the free download on television commercials promoting the new series, and through its various websites.

By selling programmes on iTunes, the broadcast networks have raised concerns at their affiliate stations, who are worried that the new distribution outlet will cannibalise their audience.