Attention iTunes Users: Please Visit Hulu

At the end of 2007, NBC will yank its TV shows off of iTunes, according to the NY Times. From Brooks Barnes' piece:

...The decision by NBC Universal highlights the escalating tension between Apple and media companies, which are unhappy that Apple will not give them more control over the pricing of songs and videos that are sold on iTunes.

NBC Universal is also seeking better piracy controls and wants Apple to allow it to bundle videos to increase revenue, the person familiar with the matter said.

NBC Universal is the second major iTunes supplier recently to have a rift with Apple over pricing and packaging matters. In July, the Universal Music Group of Vivendi, the world’s biggest music corporation, said it would not renew its long-term contract with iTunes. Instead, Universal Music said it would market music to Apple at will, which would allow it to remove its songs from iTunes on short notice.

Better piracy controls? You mean you want a tougher DRM than FairPlay? That's smart.

Of course, by December, we'll all have forgotten entirely about iTunes and will be slurping up digital content from Hulu.com, the NBC/Fox joint venture.