NBC’s legal precedent: iTunes bow

By Carly Mayberry

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – NBC broke new ground
Tuesday with its legal drama “Conviction,” becoming the first
network to premiere a primetime series in the iTunes Music
Store for free and before its televised broadcast.

As part of a multiplatform launch, iTunes users can
download the Dick Wolf-produced hourlong pilot in its entirety
at no cost. The promotion will extend until the show’s network
debut March 3, after which each episode will become available
to download for $1.99 the day after it airs.

“We believe we have a youthful and energetic cast that
should appeal to a new audience increasingly comfortable with
this downloadable format as a viewing option, and we want to
reach out to these viewers,” NBC Entertainment Group CEO Jeff
Zucker said.

NBC also will promote the free preview on the show’s TV
promos, across NBC Universal Web properties and on iTunes. The
network’s “The Office” is the television show most often
purchased from Apple’s online store.

“Conviction” focuses on the lives of young assistant
district attorneys in New York faced with challenging and
emotion-driven cases that test their limited litigation
experience. Its ensemble cast includes Stephanie March, Jordan
Bridges, J. August Richards, Milena Govich, Eric Balfour, Anson
Mount and Julianne Nicholson.

The series was created by “Law & Order” creator Wolf, and
the pilot was written by Walon Green (“Law & Order”) and Rick
Eid (“The Guardian”).

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter