Steve Jobs will use his Worldwide Developers Conference keynote next month to announce movie rentals on iTunes, according to Think Secret. According to the report, agreements may already be in place with Disney, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. but the extent of the August 7 announcement is uncertain. Think Secret suggests the move represents a victory for movie studios who prefer the rental or subscription model to Apple’s insistence on download sales.
—Also, in the report, a suggestion that the movies will be date-stamped to restrict playback. The limit could be based on time or number of views.
—It’s widely known that Apple has been working for some time to get the movie studios on board, preferably for a sell-thru model.
—Disney was successful with downloads of High School Musical, the Disney Channel movie that was released on iTunes for $9.99 prior to DVD sales.