Wealth of MTV TV Shows Now Available on the iTunes Music Store

In a rather surprising move, MTV Networks and Apple have announced that a host of hit TV shows from MTV, MTV2, COMEDY CENTRAL, Nickelodeon and The N is now available on the iTunes Music Store. The 14 new shows are available for purchase at the usual price of $1.99 per episode, and bring the number of TV shows available to over 40.

"The iTunes Music Store provides an innovative way for us to get our wide range of programming to our viewers," said Jason Hirschhorn, chief digital officer, MTV Networks in the press release. "MTV Networks’ brands feature some of the most popular programs in television today, and iTunes allows us to connect our content to even more audiences. We’re committed to having our programming on multiple platforms as our audience’s media consumption behavior evolves."

"Video has proven to be a smash hit on iTunes with over eight million videos sold," said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes in the press release. "We’re thrilled to add 14 new shows from MTV Networks which include such a wide range of programming from MTV, Nickelodeon and COMEDY CENTRAL."

The new programming spans MTV Networks’ varied brands and includes full seasons of hits from:
• MTV: "Laguna Beach"—the first-ever reality drama exploring the lives of beautiful teenagers who lead glamorous lives. "Gauntlet 2"—the tropical island of Tobago is the setting for the latest showdown between "Real World" and "Road Rules" alumni. "Beavis & Butt-Head"—the animated series following the adventures of Beavis, a blond guy in a Metallica shirt, and Butt-Head, a dark-haired guy in an AC/DC shirt. "Jackass"—MTV’s own cast of misfits leave common sense and sanity behind to perform some of the most unforgettable pranks on TV. "Punk’d"—the breakout hit where Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg set up elaborate pranks and take aim on scores of celebrities. "My Super Sweet 16"—documents the over-the-top birthday parties and coming-of-age celebrations of teens as they prepare for one of the biggest nights of their lives. And from MTV2: "Wonder Showzen"—an absurd comedy/variety show spiked with a team of puppets, kids, cartoons, old educational films and political social satire.
• Nickelodeon: "Dora the Explorer"—the number one program on commercial TV with kids 2-5 years of age and the first preschool program on iTunes. "SpongeBob SquarePants"—TV’s overall top-rated kids’ show. "Zoey 101"—the tween favorite for kids 9-14 years of age starring Jamie Lynn Spears.
• COMEDY CENTRAL: "South Park"—the Emmy Award-winning series, soon to begin its tenth season, remains the network’s highest-rated series. "COMEDY CENTRAL Stand-Up"—performances from The Amazing Johnathan, Lewis Black, Dave Attell, Dane Cook, Mitch Hedberg, Vic Henley, Steve McGrew, Vince Morris, Godfrey and Patton Oswalt. "Drawn Together"—presenting a world where cartoon characters from various genres of animation are brought together to live under one roof.
• The N: "South of Nowhere"—the critically acclaimed drama for teens about a contemporary American family that tackles the issues of identity and self-discovery.

Great news for iTunes Music Store users, however, one has to wonder what is happening with MTV… Didn’t they have a deal with Microsoft… something called "URGE"? What has become of URGE? Is it still on the drawing board or has it been scrapped? One thing is for sure, no matter what the fate of URGE is, it seems MTV’s contract with Microsoft is not an exclusive one… so we can probably expect new content as time goes by.

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