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Free Downloads of NBC Shows Include Unskippable Ads

NBC Universal has announced that it will unveil a service that will allow consumers to download many of the network’s most popular shows - free of charge - to computers and other devices. The file will contain embedded advertising that cannot be skipped, writes the AP.

The digital file expires after a week.

NBC already streams shows from its website and sells episodes for permanent download.

The service, dubbed NBC Direct, will launch in test mode in October. In following months, it will expand to allow users to subscribe to shows and download them automatically. By year’s end, an updated version will allow users to move the file to a portable viewing device, or to watch them on a Mac.

“With the creation of this new service, we are acknowledging that now, more than ever, viewers want to be in control of how, when and where they consume their favorite entertainment,” said Vivi Zigler, executive vice president of NBC Digital Entertainment.The move comes just weeks after NBC U severed its ties with iTunes, due to an inability to come to an agreement over pricing policies and to NBC’s concerns about lack of piracy protection.