Bloomberg: Apple Preparing New 99-Cent TV Show Rental Service

Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. is in advanced talks with News Corp. to let iTunes users rent TV shows for 99 cents and is in discussions with other media companies about similar deals, said three people familiar with the plan.

Viewers would be able to rent programs from News Corp.’s Fox for 48 hours, said the people, who declined to be identified because the discussions aren’t public. CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co. — where Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs is a board member and the largest shareholder — also are in talks about joining the effort, the people say.

Sounds like the subscription service idea is dead, but 99-cent shows would be an improvement over the $1.99 status quo.

★ Tuesday, 24 August 2010