http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/09/21/Free-TV-Shows-Coming-To-Web-.-Bad-News-For.aspx The era of free TV downloads has begun. But what does this mean for Apple’s iTunes? ABC and AOL have just announced a new deal to offer viewers free downloads of many of ABCs newest and most popular shows on video.aol.com. This is following the announcement made by NBC that they will be offering free downloads of their shows on “NBC Direct.” Does this mean that powerhouse Apple is losing their steam? After parting ways with iTunes over cutting the cost to download in half, NBC decided to offer their shows for free, but the catch here is that there will be interactive advertising that goes along with it. ABC and AOL will be doing much the same with their new service. Now you may think this provides viewers with more options to choose from, but in actuality we may be getting less. If all the major networks are creating outside downloading deals, where will that leave iTunes, in terms of providing downloadable TV? Another snag in this setup is the fact that all the NBC shows expire a week after the airdate, on “NBC Direct.” Now ABC's press release doesn’t mention anything about an expiration date, but again, there will be up to three interactive advertisements per show, and plenty of each of their logos floating around. While I’m all for free TV, part of the reason many of us choose to download our favorite shows is to keep away from annoying commercials. en-US Critics Rant info@criticsrant.com Subtext Version 1.9.4.0 http://www.criticsrant.com/images/default_gravatar_bullhorn.png http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/09/21/Free-TV-Shows-Coming-To-Web-.-Bad-News-For.aspx 77 60