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Apple to sell SNL skits for iPods

By Julie Bosman
The New York Times

http://news.com.com/Apple+to+sell+SNL+skits+for+iPods/2100-1026_3-6024976.html

Published: January 9, 2006, 10:25 PM PST

"Saturday Night Live" fans looking to watch classic skits from the show may not have to depend on reruns and DVD compilations for long.

Apple Computer is set to announce Tuesday that it will sell a limited number of archived "Saturday Night" skits through its iTunes Music Store for $1.99 each, for viewing on video iPods or personal computers.

The offering is the latest expansion of Apple's iTunes video library, which includes content from television networks including NBC and ABC.

The Sci Fi Channel, Disney and USA Network have also struck deals with Apple to sell their television content, typically making shows available for purchase one day after they are broadcast.

But the only "Saturday Night" content available on iTunes was "Lazy Sunday," a spoof music video that had its debut on the Dec. 17 episode. The video, which mockingly chronicled a mundane Sunday afternoon through the rapper personas of the cast members Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg, was made available free to iTunes subscribers and quickly became an Internet sensation.

NBC first announced a deal with Apple on Dec. 6 to sell its own content on iTunes after ABC experienced success selling shows like "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives."

Under NBC's arrangement with Apple, iTunes users can purchase commercial-free episodes of new shows like "The Office," and "Surface," as well as classics like the original "Dragnet" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." An Apple spokesman said the company sold more than three million video downloads in October and November.