'SNL' Sketches Available on iTunes
BURBANK, Calif. -- NBC today announced that "Saturday Night Live" sketches are available for purchase and download from the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com). Fans can download their favorites from three categories on iTunes – "Best of SNL," "Sketches," and "Commercial Parodies." Now, with "SNL," there are 13 NBC Universal shows available on iTunes, spanning from the 1950s to the present, including favorites such as NBC's "The Office," which has been a smash on the service and "Law & Order," the USA Network's Emmy Award-winning "Monk" and Sci-Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica."
"'SNL' fans can now purchase their favorite SNL sketches from the world's most popular online video store for viewing on their computer or on the new iPod," said Jeff Zucker, Chief Executive Officer, NBC Universal Television Group. "This provides us with an excellent opportunity to extend our programming brand and deliver on the growing on-demand market for popular shows."
iTunes will allow fans to access classic sketches from the show's over 30-year history, which pieces from every era of the show's distinguished history, running the gamut from the original cast members like John Belushi to contemporary favorites like Will Ferrell, and everywhere in between.
The "Best of SNL" category will give iTunes consumers access to hour-long collections of sketches grouped by individual performers. Under the "Sketches" banner, dozens of individual sketches can be accessed ranging from '70s classics like Dan Aykroyd's Julia Child parody and Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor's "Word Association" interview to the internet sensation that aired on SNL just last December -- "Lazy Sunday" -- featuring Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg. What's more, scores of SNL fan favorite recurring characters will be represented in the store. Among the commercial parodies users can download will range from classic "Little Chocolate Donuts" and "Bass-O-Matic" to the current "Mom Jeans."
NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.