iTunes has had new movies available for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release since May 2008.
Jump forward a decade, and a report claims that Apple will be the first choice for studios and exhibitors when they eventually agree to video-on-demand while movies are still showing in theaters.
“I think iTunes is the logical choice,” said Jeff Bock, the senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. “It’s what everybody has.” Other sources speaking with Business Insider backed up the same assertion — stating that, “If an earlier window gets put in place, iTunes would probably have some say in being part of the earlier window.”
At present, the idea of making movies available to view at home at the same time they hit theaters is still in its infancy. A startup by Napster pioneer Sean Parker called Screening Room has tried to do this — with a $50 price point attached — but it has so far failed to gain traction.
Just like Apple did with iTunes, however, when it swooped in to capitalize on the ruinous affects of services like Napster (we’re starting to work out why the entertainment industry might not like Sean Parker!), Apple could use its established reputation as the safe choice to work with studios.
Apple has had a good relationship with movie studios for years now. Back in the late 1990s, Apple’s movie trailer website became a great source of collaboration between Apple and studios. Apple got access to movie trailers for free, thereby increasing traffic to its site and showing off its impressive QuickTime technology. Studios, meanwhile, got to advertise their product without having to pay for bandwidth.
Apple went on to parlay this good relationship into groundbreaking deals to make TV shows and movies available for download on iTunes.
Apple has reportedly been in talks with studios about making movies available on iTunes two weeks after their theatrical debuts. If today’s story is to be believed, they could get there even earlier than that!
Source: Business Insider
