NBC launches new TV series on iTunes - and it's free!

NBC has announced plans to make its newest television series available for free on Apple's iTunes store 10 days before its network premiere. The series is Conviction, a legal drama.

And the move marked the first time that a broadcast network has debuted a series for free on iTunes. This is a bigger deal than it seems. For this is a sign of things to come. The pay per view nature of online TV needs to develop into a free, or ad based model.

Developments such as this will accellerate the process. This particular one reflects an effort to use iTunes as a promotional tool - particularly among young viewers. Given the amount of choice becoming available at iTunes - the download fee alone will not work. Or at least will only work for the odd billionaire. How about the rest of us!