On Wednesday, NBC announced their fresh innovation, NBC Direct, which enables users to download episodes of their favorite shows in the span of one week after the original airdate on television. This venture is in line with their competition with Apple Inc.'s iTunes which offers downloadable programs at $1.99 each.



"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," Vivi Zigler, executive vice president of NBC Digital Entertainment explained.

The test launching of the new service will be held next month, and content will be initially offered for free downloading. These downloads will be available only within seven days after its television broadcast.

"Kind of like Mission: Impossible, only I don't think there would be any explosion and smoke," Jeff Gaspin, president of NBC Universal Television Group said in a conversation with the New York Times.

The programs will also contain some commercials which cannot be skipped and are required to be downloaded with every episode. As of now, the service is only available to Windows-based PC users. They are still working on the service for Mac users.

Debuting on NBC Direct in October are programs such as Heroes, The Office, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Previously, NBC took almost 40% of iTunes downloadable video profits, up until the two companies' opposing views on content pricing forced them to part ways. NBC had previously negotiated with iTunes to increase their prices to as much as $4.99 from Apple's mandatory standard of $1.99.

"We are disappointed to see NBC leave iTunes, because we would not agree to their dramatic price increase," Eddy Cue, vice president for Apple's iTunes, said in a statement last month.