Get NHL hightlights from the iTunes Music Store

From the NHL’s press release:

The iTunes Music Store is offering a “Season Pass” for each Stanley Cup Playoff series for $4.99. Each package includes 15-20 minutes of expanded highlights of each game in the Eastern or the Western Conference Finals or the Stanley Cup Final. For $1.99, fans can download expanded highlights of individual games. Videos downloaded from the iTunes Music Store can be viewed on a computer or iPod.

This would be pretty cool if it weren’t for the fact that you can get free highlights from NHL.com (“Video highlights are free!”) or YouTube. Seems to me a better idea would have been not to charge for these. How is this going to attract new fans? Experienced fans already know where to get free highlights and prospective fans aren’t going to want to pay to see them, however cheap they are.

Link (opens iTunes, via. The Unoffical Apple Weblog)

Update (11:31 AM): A reader over at TUAW points out the irony of the fact that these are not available in the Canadian iTMS, just the US version. That’s real smart. I’d have thought the League wanted to make at least some money out of this.

Comments

Michael Turner says:

May 26, 2006 at 8:40 pm

I can't say I'm thrilled about this idea. It has room for potential, though, if they actually move with this idea and don't just let it rot as is. The NBA for example sells full games at something like $4 a pop on Google Video, but those also are filled with a whole bevvy of commercials, making the files way too cumberome and big.

Maybe if they start selling full games at that price it'll be worth it. And like you said, the fact that this isn't even available through iTunes Canada is just … wow. I guess "shocking" and "stupid" are the best words to use, huh?

Isabella says:

May 29, 2006 at 5:18 pm

This is the league that all but paid NBC to broadcast games. Negotiation and finances isn't the NHL's – or Bettman's – strong suit.

If I'm going to pay for hockey highlights, I'd actually prefer behind-the-scenes stuff. Player interviews that didn't get aired or exclusive Q&A or mini-documentaries. Highlights are a dime-a-dozen.