“Stargate Atlantis Season Four will definitely be on iTunes and should appear 24 hours after SCI FI broadcast,” the studio said.
Along with Amazon Unbox, iTunes allows fans in the United States to download complete episodes legally, for $1.99 each.
The show’s fate on the popular music, movie, and TV download service was thrown into question last week when NBC Universal — which owns SCI FI Channel — would no longer offer its shows on iTunes (story). NBC and other broadcasters have argued that Apple’s pricing policies are too restrictive, preventing the owners of shows from charging different rates or bundling downloads for special promotions.
NBC Universal shows will instead be available online exclusively at Amazon Unbox.
While this decision effects such NBC Universal-owned shows as Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, and The Office, the company does not own Stargate Atlantis or Stargate SG-1 — just the network that broadcasts it in the U.S.
For the time being, Stargate Atlantis Season Four should remain listed under the SCI FI Channel section on iTunes. When NBC’s contract with iTunes expires at the end of 2007 and its own shows are removed entirely, Stargate‘s location on the site may change.
Past episodes of Atlantis and Stargate SG-1 should also remain unaffected.
Season Four of Atlantis premieres Friday, September 28 on SCI FI!