This is beginning to sound like a Jane Curtain-Dan Akroyd skit ... NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) never asked to double the wholesale price and insists NBC shows will be sold by the iTunes Store through early December. Firing back at Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) with a statement from Cory Shields, EVP-Communications, NBCU said the dispute centered on a “request for flexibility in wholesale pricing, including   the ability to package shows together in ways that could make our content even more attractive for consumers.” Shields said the company also wanted Apple to do more about piracy “since it is estimated that the typical iPod contains a significant amount of illegally downloaded material.”

SEE ALSO: Apple Retaliates; Says NBC Wanted Double The Wholesale Price; Will Stop in September

NBCU contends that Apple’s pricing is more about hardware than content: “It is clear that Apple’s retail pricing strategy for its iTunes service is designed to drive sales of Apple devices, at the expense of those who create the content that make these devices worth buying.”

While Apple has said it will stop selling NBC shows next month, NBCU says that it not the case: “We want consumers to know that all our returning series, including new episodes, will be available on iTunes through the remainder of the contract, which expires in early December. Our content is also available on NBC.com, Amazon.com, and the soon-to-launch hulu.com.”

He’s not saying how NBCU plans to make Apple follow through but he also left room for a resolution before the contract expires.

Update: For clarity, NBCU is referring to shows from its networks included in the existing contract; this does not cover shows premiering this fall —Bionic Woman, etc.