(20 September 2007 3:00 pm)

MUMBAI: In a bid to expand the digital distribution of its programmes and compete with Apple's iTunes Store, NBC will soon offer limited free downloads of select TV shows under a new video-on-demand (VoD) service 'NBC Direct'.

This will allow users to download episodes to computers running Microsoft Windows for up to a week after the show has aired on television. The downloaded file will contain embedded advertising that cannot be skipped.

The network plans to begin beta testing the new service in October. In later versions, NBC Direct will automatically download these shows to the PC after they air on TV. Upcoming versions to be introduced by December will also allow viewers to move the file to a portable viewing device or watch them on a Mac computer.

Eventually, NBC says, HD (high-definition) shows will be available through P2P technology thus speeding up the download of larger files. A special software player with filtering technology will prevent users from playing illegally downloaded videos.

The shows that will become available immediately include Heroes, The Office, Life, Bionic Woman, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

NBC's move is in a direction where all the major TV networks will end up going. There has already been a need felt for the ability to distribute shows to the three screens - the TV, the PC and the mobile phone - directly from their own online stores.

Till date, these networks have preferred to distribute their content through third parties like iTunes and Amazon Unbox. However, NBC Universal said it would no longer sell TV episodes on iTunes because it wants the ability to sell its shows at a variety of prices instead of the $1.99 standard enforced by Apple.

"With the creation of this new service, we are acknowledging that now, more than ever, viewers want to be in control of how, when and where they consumer their favorite entertainment," said NBC Digital Entertainment EVP Vivi Zigler.