Apple Now Sells Movie Downloads on DVD Release Date

The New York Times reports that Apple will now offer movie downloads for purchase on the same day as the movie is released on DVD.

Until now, people who wanted to watch movies on cable pay-per-view systems or rental download systems like Apple TV had to wait a few weeks after the same movie was released as a DVD. (And the DVD comes out, of course, four or five months after a film hits the theaters.)

Warner Brothers has been experimenting with the new approach for the last few months. It has found that DVD rentals only fell by 3 percent to 5 percent and sales of DVDs actually increased, perhaps because of the increased promotion and fewer used rental discs available for sale.

Apple issued a press release to announce that the following studios were offering library and same-day release titles: 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.

Apple also announced that they now have "six million songs, 600 TV shows and over 1,500 films including 200 in stunning high definition videos."

via Gizmodo.

Comments

[Jimson]

Unremarkable. When you can RENT new releases on Day 1 then I'll be impressed. Who wants to pay $15? Just buy the DVD and play it anywhere without all the DRM B.S.... when will the studios pull their heads out of their asses?

[Ann]

I agree with Jimson; same day renting would be impressive. The rest? meh.

[Edward R Murrow]

These prices are very competitive with Walmart and Costco.

[Jeff R.]

But if you buy it for $15 on iTunes, you can use it on iTunes and nothing else! That's a deal!

Seriously... I've got an iPhone, it's great, but I will NEVER buy a digital movie. I'll go buy the real thing and then rip/encode it to play on my phone if I want to watch it on my phone. Why limit the use of your media for the same price?

[Bob, Lindenhurst, NY]

Like everyone else here has already alluded to - sales of physical DVDs likely improve when people see the cost of buying these digital copies. Seriously, $14.99 for a digital download, that's just absurd.