NBC's Native iPad App Arrives & Is An Utter Disappointment
June 22, 2011
NBC Universal, Inc. has finally released an official app for the iPad, simply called NBC. The app provides video highlights and clips, among other features. Unfortunately, the app isn’t all it should be.
Just months after Comcast purchased NBC, the U.S.-based entertainment giant has released a native app for iPad. The free app is a showcase for existing NBC shows and those premiering this fall. In addition, the app includes interactive games and trivia, “exclusive” photo galleries, and an up-to-date scheduler.
The NBC app also includes a myNBC feature, which gives customers a personalized view of their favorite shows and related content.
Regrettably, the folks at NBC really missed an opportunity here because its app doesn’t provide full episodes of its shows. Instead, they recreated the existing NBC.com homepage and made it work on the iPad.
Compare this to the ABC Player app. Released in April 2010 (on the first day the iPad itself was released), this app allows iPad users to view full episodes of their favorite shows for free.
Not NBC, which only offers occasional show clips via its app.
While it’s nice to see NBC finally releasing a native app for iPad (CBS and FOX are still MIA here), the end result is a disappointment.
NBC for iPad is available now in the App Store.
Thoughts?