Hot on the heels of the news that NBC are offering free full episodes of two of their biggest shows to iPhone and iPod Touch users, comes the news that live TV is now also a possibility.

Orb Networks claims to have “the world’s first way to stream live TV to the iPhone and iPod Touch.” The application is called Orb Live, and it will work on all jailbroken Apple iPhones and iPod Touches.

Users can get access to the app by installing it on a home PC, and OrbLive on their iPhone or iPod Touch. You then just set the PC to stream live TV and you can then stream the content to your device via Wi-Fi.

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NBC hates Apple, or at least iTunes. However, that doesn’t mean it hates iPhones, iPod Touches, or people who own these devices. If you need proof, then read on.

Despite having a major bust-up last year over NBC shows on iTunes, which resulted in NBC removing all of their content from Apple’s service, Alley Insider reports that they are now offering full episodes of two of their most popular shows on the iPhone.

DRM, Price & Advert Free

What’s more, they are available for free, without adverts, and in unprotected Quicktime format. Is this the same NBC that has tried to control pricing and DRM issues?

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Yesterday I reported how NBC has decided to get in to bed with Microsoft and offer individual episodes of its shows through the online Zune Store.

When NBC pulled all of its programming from Apple iTunes late last year after an argument with the iPod manufacturer, the two reasons cited for the falling out were pricing, and a lack of stringent filtering measures for pirated material.

The Coupling Becomes Clear

It didn’t immediately seem clear why NBC had now agreed to similar conditions from Microsoft when they wouldn’t accept them from Apple. However, after the New York Times spoke to J. B. Perrette, the president of digital distribution for NBC Universal, things may have become a little clearer.

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Last September saw NBC programming pulled off the Apple iTunes Store after a dispute between the two companies over tougher anti-piracy measures and a refusal to raise prices.

Just last month, NBC opened up the lines of communication again, and seemed to want back in, so long as their original complaints were dealt with. Apple didn’t budge, so it looks as though NBC has gone looking for a new distributor.

Microsoft Better Than Apple?

It has now found it in the form of Microsoft, who as part of an announcement about new Zune features, let it slip that NBC programmes will now be available through the online store.

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A few days ago saw Apple announce that new movies would now be available for download from iTunes on the same day that the DVD is released.

The deal, which was with most major movie studios, as well as some independent ones, sees the new films being released for a set price of $14.99.

For that, you get a single movie file, all wrapped up in the dreaded DRM which prevent the film from being transferred or watched on anything other than the PC it’s downloaded to.

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People using Apple iTunes to download movies have so far had to put up with either dated titles, or titles which have been available to buy on DVD for some time.

However, Apple announced today that they have secured a deal with some of the major film studios, and leading independent studios, to allow movie releases through iTunes to coincide with the timing of the retail DVD release.

Movies produced by 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios are all part of the deal.

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Last September saw Apple and NBC acrimoniously split over their joint deal to distribute NBC programmes through iTunes.

At the time, NBC blamed Apple for not introducing tougher anti-piracy measures such as DRM, and also not being willing to raise the prices. Basically, it got greedy.

Since then, a lot has happened, with NBC first doing a deal with Amazon to see its programmes distributed via the Unbox service, but how successful that move has been is unclear.

Hulu

Then NBC jointly launched Hulu along with News Corp. as a way to combat piracy - the idea being that if viewers can watch shows legally, they are less likely to turn to YouTube and the like.

However, neither deal has taken away from the fact that iTunes is still a lucrative way of distributing programmes, and it seems that NBC now wants back in.

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