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NBC's legal precedent: iTunes bow

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 01:23 CST

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

Source: REUTERS

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