Apple working on deals for 99 cent TV show rentals

Looks like Apple is in negotiations with TV studios once again, this time pitching the idea of making episodes available via rentals for 99 cents. (Downloads currently cost $1.99 or $2.99 each.)

This news has everything to do with Apple TV — and rumored plans for the device to move toward an iOS platform and cloud-based services — but it’s not a big stretch to think this could have an impact on current iOS 4 users. You can already “buy” or rent movies on iTunes, and you can purchase TV programming as well, and then sync them to your devices. If this deal goes through, wouldn’t we be able to sync rented episodes of True Blood or Glee too?

If it happens, it will probably work just like iTunes movie rentals now: Users would rent a show for a buck and have a month to watch it. But once playback starts, the viewing would have to be done with the day.

Given the publicity that the Netflix app is getting, not to mention the iPad’s ABC Player and the announcement of Hulu Plus subscription services, it looks streaming content is the “It” thing these days. Not that online video content is anything new, but given the rise of more powerful features and mobile anywhere access, there’s a whole load of industry types trying to figure out the future of digital entertainment.

Personally, if the negotiations can put timely TV programming in the store, I’d be a happy camper. True Blood, my only reason for subscribing to HBO right now, is only viewable on my television — and yet, I stick to this expensive pricing model because it’s available immediately. (Then again, that’s probably exactly why HBO doesn’t put it on iTunes right away. For now, it looks like the show stocks its iTunes eps according to the DVD release schedule. Ugh.)

Do you watch much TV programming or movies on your iOS device? Would you be excited by expanding your rental options to television shows as well? Let us know what you think.

Via: TeeVee