The prospect of iTunes Replay, an iCloud-based movie streaming service which would allow you to re-download previous purchases for free, was revived in a string of rumours last week. However, reports from the US have now doused those claims with the cold, cold water of reality.
While the latest Apple TV update gave US owners the ability to stream any previously purchased TV show from the cloud, it seems arguments over rights have stopped the iTunes Replay plans in their tracks. Apple is reportedly struggling to get all the major movie studios on board and that doesn’t bode well for the UK…
CNET says multiple film industry sources have told it that Apple is yet to sign agreements with four of top six movie studios. Negotiations are ongoing but it says they could go on for months thanks to the so-called “HBO window”. The deal means that HBO has the US rights to exclusively stream movies from 20th Century Fox, Universal and Warner Bros for a period after their DVD release.
The HBO restriction doesn’t mean Apple won’t be able to launch iTunes Replay but it would make it much less attractive. Disney, Paramount and Sony Pictures are all free to do a deal with Apple if they wish. Steve Jobs is the largest individual shareholder at Disney so it’s highly likely to be onside.
Though launching iTunes Replay in the UK would involve entirely different rights agreements, Apple is unlikely to move forward with the service abroad until it has nailed it at home. Just look at how we’re waiting for the iTunes Match component of iCloud to get a definitive launch date in the UK.
