Apple and Hollywood are reportedly in talks to provide home-video rentals of movies as little as two weeks after theatrical release.
Studio heads from Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and 21st Century Fox have indicated recently they are looking for deals. Two unidentified sources close to the talks told Bloomberg News the studios are considering partnering with Apple and iTunes.
One plan, according to the Bloomberg report, would be to set online rentals of new movies at prices in the $25 to $50 range.
Movie theaters are seeing a decline in attendance. One studio executive, Warner Bros. chief Kevin Tsujihara, told Bloomberg last week that early access to new movies could take advantage of the popularity of streaming services and deter piracy.
Apple has struggled to make inroads in obtaining streaming rights for films and TV shows. Should Cupertino land a deal, iTunes would suddenly gain a stronger footing in the video streaming space.
There are several players involved. Theaters historically have been against earlier releases of films, but are willing to consider a deal that benefits both theater chains and studios. The film industry would want a streaming platform that could prevent piracy.
iTunes has encrypted video files, but a person could still use a video camera to record a movie playing on a television set. Piracy of titles still in the theater cuts into profits for studios and cinema owners.
One of Apple’s biggest competitors might be Napster founder Sean Parker, who said earlier this year he was developing a new movie streaming service called Screening Room. According to the Bloomberg report, Screening Room uses a watermarking technology that can track sources of pirated films.
Source: <em>Bloomberg
David Pierini is a former newspaper writer and long-time photographer. Considered a luddite by most of his friends, they did not believe him when he broke the news that he would be writing for a technology website. He is fascinated by human nature and would love to cultivate stories about the people driving the tech bus. Reach out to him at [email protected].
2 responses to “Apple pitches Hollywood on rushing movies to iTunes”
YES! Took kids to see Trolls and Moana recently.
Matinee tickets and snacks cost a ton.
Would much rather pay to run new movie on
my home projector and sound system. Concessions will
be cheaper and of better quality. Seats will certainly
be more comfortable.
$25-$50 to rent one film? I’d gladly pay $10 but anything higher for a single stream is ridiculous even if the film is only a few weeks old. Current price for renting recent films or films straight to iTunes is around $7… perhaps they can charge up to $10 for eagerly awaited films/blockbusters etc