AMC’s hit TV show Breaking Bad, starring Bryan Cranston, returned last night for the highly anticipated second half of its final season (5). I wasn’t able to find specific numbers, but it’s believed that the premier could have broken several ratings records.
But while cable viewers turned out in droves, many iTunes users were met with disappointment when they logged in to view the episode. As it turns out, folks who purchased a Season Pass for the first half of the season don’t get access to the second half…
9to5Mac points to the problem, which stems from the fact that AMC has always promoted the fifth season of Breaking Bad as one season, split into two parts. The first 8 episodes started airing last summer, and the second 8 began airing on Sunday night.
The issue is, a number of users purchased the first half of the season under the impression that the second half would be included. But that’s not the case. Breaking Bad, The Final Season showed up in iTunes last night as a completely separate media purchase.
For those unfamiliar with iTunes’ Season Pass feature, it allows users to purchase an entire season of TV shows at a slight discount. Looking back at BB Season 5, it is only $21.99 (the average cost for 8 episodes) and there is mention in the fine print about the split. But the text in the description is still misleading: “This Season Pass includes all current and future episodes of Breaking Bad, Season 5.”
Users have taken to the show’s Reviews section in iTunes to share their outrage at the split pricing. But to be fair, Apple’s not the only one who did it: both Amazon and Microsoft’s Xbox are also splitting up the season and making users purchase them separately.
Regardless, this is all worth note if you’re looking to purchase the final season of Breaking Bad in iTunes. You’ll end up paying a little more than $40. For those who haven’t seen the show yet, wondering what all of the fuss is about, we’ve added iTunes links below:
- Breaking Bad Season 1
- Breaking Bad Season 2
- Breaking Bad Season 3
- Breaking Bad Season 4
- Breaking Bad Season 5
- Breaking Bad The Final Season