Zucker Plugs '30 Rock' During IP Speech
NBC-Universal CEO Jeff Zucker couldn’t help but promote Thursday night's season premiere of the network's critically acclaimed comedy "30 Rock" during his speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.
Zucker, who talked mainly about challenges to fighting intellectual property piracy, marveled at how technology has made the show (a favorite of mine) and other NBC programs accessible "wherever and however the consumer wants to consume" them.
Soon after "30 Rock" debuts, Internet users can surf over to NBC's Web site to watch a streaming version of the show or download it for a limited time. On Amazon.com they can buy it for good. Fans in some parts of the country can also watch on-demand and certain cellular telephone providers make the show available on handheld devices.
In a few weeks, "30 Rock" will be available for streaming at Hulu.com, a new Web venture between NBC and News Corp, Zucker said, and old-fashioned types can wait until the end of the season to buy the DVD.
"What incredible change! Our business models are changing faster than a Saturday Night Live skit gets posted on YouTube," he said, referring to the highly publicized hullabaloo surrounding SNL content that appeared last season on the popular video-sharing site.
The bottom line on IP theft, Zucker said, is that the scourge is getting worse and industries have not been able to keep pace with pirates. Business leaders now recognize this and are fighting back. Or as zany "30 Rock" character Tracy Jordan would say "I learned fried chicken at the school of hard knocks" -- whatever that means.
For more coverage of the conference, read Technology Daily's PM Edition.
Update: The Consumer Electronics Association-backed Digital Freedom campaign said "Mr. Zucker and NBC are definitely on to something." "Giving consumers what they want, when they want it, how they want it is not only a great idea, it is good business, and the best defense against piracy," a spokesman said.
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus