Date: 05-05-2008
Apple Inc. has announced that it will make popular films available for iPhones and iPods through iTunes as soon as the DVDs are released, owing to deals with several movie studios. The deals involve several studios including 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, according to Apple. “We’re thrilled to bring iTunes store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” said iTunes vice president Eddy Cue. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.” Furthermore, Warner Bros. will be releasing movies for video-on-demand systems on the same day when DVDs are released, according Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes. Newly released films will cost around $14.99 to download, while they may be rented for $3.99. This iTunes feature will now face stiff competition with movie rental giant Blockbuster and Internet firm CinemaNow.
