Zucker: iTunes could 'destroy' video

NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker has claimed iTunes' low prices could "destroy" the film and television industry.

He said it was stopping companies from making a profit from selling their content on the internet.

He told a US communications conference: "We know that Apple has destroyed the music business – in terms of pricing – and if we don’t take control, they’ll do the same thing on the video side."

It comes a month after NBC pulled its content from the service citing its pricing policy and what it characterised as lax anti-piracy measures.

Yesterday Zucker said it was "a relatively easy decision" because it had earned only about $15 million last year despite providing a large proportion of shows.

He revealed he had asked for Apple to increase the cost for a download from $1.99 to $2.99 as an experiment but the proposal had been been rejected by chief executive Steve Jobs.

Zucker explained media companies were struggling to find digital distribution methods that kept their revenue up.