Report: Apple Mulling Movie Rentals
Apple is reportedly in talks to bring movie rentals to its iTunes store, with the company reportedly planning to offer rentals for $2.99 USD for 30 days.
It was not clear which studios were being asked to participate, although the Wall Street Journal reported Paramount Pictures seemed open to the idea while Universal Studios was against it.
The move, although somewhat anathemic to Steve Jobs' assertion that consumers want to own their content and not rent it, is likely intended to drum up interest in the service. So far, iTunes' movie offerings has only attracted a handful of studios.
Additionally, Apple has had trouble convincing studios to market their new releases on iTunes. With new releases retailing for $14.99 USD, studios fear placing the movies on the service would hurt DVD sales. Others cite Apple's copy protection policies.
Apple currently has about 500 movies on the service, although the large majority are those that have long past their prime for DVD sales. In some cases, these movies are priced higher than could be found on DVD at a discount retailer like Wal-Mart.
As is typical with reports like this, Apple is declining to comment. News of the possible service was also reported in the Financial Times.