“Six months ago, Bloomberg reported that Apple was talking with Hollywood studios about bringing movies to iTunes just weeks after they first arrived in theaters,” Bryan M. Wolfe writes for App Advice. “In a follow-up, Business Insider says iTunes is the perfect place for this to happen — assuming that all sides can agree on the terms.”
“Premium video on demand, or PVOD, has been discussed for decades. Until recently, however, it’s been little more than a pipe dream,” Wolfe writes. “The only way to currently get first-run movies at home is through Prima Cinema, which costs $35,000 to install and $500 for each movie rental. Another plan, tech billionaire Sean Parker’s Screening Room, sounds a lot more feasible. Unfortunately, it has yet to gain traction despite being promoted by Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, J.J. Abrams, Peter Jackson, among others.”
“Screening Room hoped to charge $50 for each film rental. For this, the film would be watchable in a home for 48 hours. The renter would also receive two tickets to see the title at their local theater,” Wolfe writes. “This brings us to Apple’s iTunes. Called the ‘elephant in the room,’ iTunes looks like the logical choice for whenever studios and exhibitors want to go down the PVOD path. The reason? It’s a service they already work with.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Screening Room is redundant. Movie theaters are dying (the high ticket/concession prices are a sign of an unhealthy business). All iTunes Store needs is the proper release window. Everything else is already in place, thanks again and as usual to Steve Jobs.
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s up to something in Hollywood, but no one knows what – not even Apple – April 21, 2017
Steve Jobs predicted early iTunes movie rentals over six years ago – December 8, 2016
Apple said in talks with film studios over early access to movies for iTunes – December 7, 2016
Disney sells nearly 500,000 movies via Apple’s iTunes Store in less than two months – November 9, 2006
Fox movies, including ‘Star Wars’ franchise, coming soon to Apple’s iTunes Store? – November 08, 2006
Analyst: two major studios seen joining Apple’s iTunes Store – October 10, 2006
Report: Apple and Wal-Mart in discussions over iTunes Store alliance – September 29, 2006
Disney’s remarkable 1st week iTunes movies sales should have studios clambering aboard Apple train – September 20, 2006
Disney sells 125,000 movie downloads via Apple’s iTunes Store in first week – September 19, 2006
Apple debuts iTunes 7 – September 12, 2006
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
You want a great Music manager, that has every modern interface you need….You want Roon! It what iTunes can only aspire to…..All of Apple’s Horsepower and the current iTunes is all they can come up with….pathetic!!! Kind of like their current Hardware offerings…
Wha…? English please.
The death of shopping malls is in the news today and theaters are not far behind. The Internet is closing in on and reducing the number of social public venues and increasingly adding to the isolation of humans. Which when you look at how that isolated behavior and an Internet connection effects ego and opinion, it isn’t an encouraging sign for the future.
Oh and PVOD – what questionably intelligent person will pay a premium for PVOD, especially once the novelty is over if it isn’t already, and prices are much lower? The days of water cooler movies are pretty much over. Studios will start circling the drain of diminished profits and mega-spending might start to subside. There’s already a plethora of cable product and other entertainment pleasing options.