NBC Rhetoric vs. iTunes Increases

Just prior to unveiling the public beta of the joint venture Hulu.com, NBC CEO Jeff Zucker had some hot words for Apple's iTunes (via MSNBC).

"We know that Apple has destroyed the music business - in terms of pricing - and if we don't take control, they'll do the same thing on the video side," Mr Zucker said at a breakfast hosted by Syracuse's Newhouse School of Communications.

The rift between NBC and Apple came to a head earlier this year when NBC announced it would be pulling its content from iTunes, and recently some music labels have also been loosening ties with iTunes.

While the rhetoric does not necessarily represent any new development in the saga, it has seen increasing attention around the Mac web over the past 24 hours. To be fair, it appears that Mr. Zucker's comments were not aimed at diminishing iTunes' role in saving a dying music business, but rather aimed at the increasing influence Apple has gained over the pricing of content... a trend that has made NBC and other content creators uneasy.