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Apple Reportedly Set to Test Lowering Prices for Some Television Downloads to $1

Wednesday February 10, 2010 3:44 pm PST by Eric Slivka
Financial Times reports that Apple is set to begin a trial coinciding with the launch of the iPad that will reduce the price of certain TV downloads through its iTunes Store to $1 from the current $1.99. The trial will reportedly begin in April. Financial Times first reported late last month that Apple was seeking to persuade television networks to go along with the plan, and at least some of them seem to have accepted the trial in an attempt to spur demand.

Some television networks agreed to the lower prices after months of negotiations, and having initially resisted Apple's push. Media executives are under pressure from declining DVD sales and cut-rate rental services such as Redbox, that offer rental DVDs for $1.

It is not yet clear which or how many of the US free-to-air and pay-television networks have agreed to the lower pricing. Some media executives said they have not been approached with the new prices.

Apple has also been rumored to be pursuing a monthly subscription package of "best of TV" downloadable content, and today's report indicates that Apple has not yet given up on that front either.
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iDisk
26 months ago
This sounds like a follow up to a previous article on here just days ago, Apple will probably have "old" tv shows at this price point much like they do with movies and certain music........ Hey is it me or should this site be called Applerumors, cause we rarely hear anything Mac related these days :rolleyes:
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Frisco
26 months ago
If true will definitely spark sales.
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Neotyguy40
26 months ago

This sounds like a follow up to a previous article on here just days ago....... Hey is it me or should this site be called Applerumors, cause we rarely here anything Mac related these days :rolleyes:


Go to:

www.applerumors.com

You will see...

Ontopic: This is awesome for us TV owners!
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iphone1105
26 months ago

This sounds like a follow up to a previous article on here just days ago, Apple will probably have "old" tv shows at this price point much like they do with movies and certain music....... Hey is it me or should this site be called Applerumors, cause we rarely here anything Mac related these days :rolleyes:


Maybe because not much going on with mac lately, besides some BestBuy screenshot of a deleted product! Plus, iPhone users do dominate here in most instances.

Regardless, this is good news. The 1.99 never bothered me for TV shows, I can stand that. It's the $1.29 music DL's that irk me. I'm all for paying 1.99 for TV shows I like and can have on all my devices forever.
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happydude
26 months ago
great . . . but the apple tv is incredibly out of date given what it is able to do. i just can't imagine they're selling many new devices these days. when a ps3 or xbox has more functionality (other than buying and playing content from itunes), i have no reason to buy one.

i really want an apple t.v., but i want it to surf the internet. or i want a mac mini that can have the apple t.v. capabilities. eitherway, there's a gap between the apple t.v. and the mac mini that needs to be addressed. combining the two into a single product would be the perfect hybrid.
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pondie84
26 months ago
Although I know it's not going to happen, what would be great for me would be if there were no 'borders' and you could purchase TV content from other countries' stores. As it is I have to wait months and months before I can legally purchase episodes on my countries store and, in some cases, have no legal avenue to watch shows from other countries.

I understand the legal difficulties involved but I can still wish :)
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goobot
26 months ago
this would make me want to buy tv more. now if they just lower the movies :rolleyes:
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zedsdead
26 months ago
It would be nice if a new apple tv went along with this.
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Chaos123x
26 months ago
Can't they make so there are commercials that can't be fast forward past like hulu? And gives us the option of $1 without commercials
and free with commercials.
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iDisk
26 months ago

Go to:

www.applerumors.com

You will see...

Ontopic: This is awesome for us TV owners!


All I have to do is hover over your link and it tells me it's macrumors lol :p ... you may get a non tech savvy person with that ;)

Maybe because not much going on with mac lately, besides some BestBuy screenshot of a deleted product! Plus, iPhone users do dominate here in most instances.

Regardless, this is good news. The 1.99 never bothered me for TV shows, I can stand that. It's the $1.29 music DL's that irk me. I'm all for paying 1.99 for TV shows I like and can have on all my devices forever.


It's GREAT news, for users, don't get me wrong I'm not downing the article.... Though I just thought that since the iPad hype was over with, we would start seeing the Mac Pro, Cinema Display, Notebook rumors, ya know!?

I guess I thought wrong
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