The rapid change in television's distribution business model continued last week when Comcast announced a deal to sell major NBC network programs for 99 cents each via video-on-demand.
The deal, to begin in May, includes top NBC shows such as "Law & Order" and "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno", as well as popular shows from NBC Universal's USA, Bravo and Sci Fi cable channels.
The arrangement with NBC calls for primetime broadcast shows to be available starting at midnight the night they originally air. The fee applies only to primetime shows, while late night, daytime and cable shows will be available to on-demand viewers for no additional charge.
Comcast, who already carries CBS programs on-demand, offers more than 7000 on-demand programs per month, a response to the changing habits of consumer interested in scheduling their own television viewing rather than watching programs according to times set by the networks, Reuters reported.