Americans are to be offered DRM-loaded, downloan "prime-time" TV at $1 per episode, "shifting television toward a sales model that gained popularity with downloaded music," says the Washington Post.

"This isn't an acquisition model," USA Today has NBC's David Zaslav saying. "This is more of a rental model."

And the decision to charge a dollar "wasn't scientific," he says. "It's low enough to attract viewers, and it felt like an amount that's in balance" with payments for movies and other VOD programming.

In fact, music rentals aren't working. The "model" exists only in the minds of the people who run the Big Four record labels. Ninety-nine percent of online music lovers use the p2p networks.

And shows will be "wiped off the hard drive once the next episode of the show airs and cannot be saved on other devices," says USA Today. This means customers will have to give the TV broadcasters free access to their computers, with all that implies.

"CBS is teaming up with Comcast Corp. and NBC with satellite operator DirecTV to offer the on-demand replays," says the Washington Post. "NBC Universal will offer commercial-free episodes of 'Law & Order: SVU' and other shows to subscribers of DirecTV Group Inc. who use the satellite company's new digital video recorder. Comcast's on-demand customers in some markets will be able to view 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,' 'NCIS,' 'Survivor' and 'The Amazing Race' at their convenience."

As catflaps states it, "The American TV networks are in trouble. BIG trouble. But that’s not BIG news.

"What is big news is that they’re scrambling at the 11th hour to change their business and distribution models to meet (what they believe are) consumers’ demands."

See:-
Washington Post - Nets to Offer Replays of Prime-Time Shows, November 8, 2005
USA Today - Tailored, ad-free TV gains ground, November 7, 2005
states it - catflap to US TV networks, November 7, 2005