Oliver Haslam·

Apple Looking To Price 4K Movies On iTunes Same As HD Versions, Hollywood Wants More

With Apple said to be ready to announce a new 4K-capable Apple TV alongside new iPhones and Apple Watches during a media event on September 12th, a new report by The Wall Street Journal now claims the company is “scrambling” to have the required 4K content deals in place ahead of time.

While talks are said to have been ongoing for a while now, Apple and Hollywood studios appear to have hit a roadblock over the pricing of new 4K content on iTunes.

According to the report, Apple plans to sell 4K movies for $19.99, the same price it currently sells its newly released 1080p HD content. However, Hollywood studios would like Apple’s 4K movies to sell for between $5 and $10 more than current HD movies, making them anywhere between $24.99 and $29.99 each.

Apple wants to have major Hollywood films available in ultra-high definition on the new device, expected to go on sale later this year. However, it wants to charge $19.99 for those movies—on par with what it sometimes charges for new HD movies, the people with knowledge of the discussions said. Several Hollywood studios want to charge $5 to $10 more for 4K movies, the people said.

It is thought that Apple still intends to have its deals in place ahead of that September 12th event, although it remains to be seen what those deals will look like and importantly, which price point the highly anticipated 4K movies land at on iTunes. Apple has historically struggled to reach agreements with media companies in the past having notoriously failed in an attempt to offer television content as part of a subscription multiple times.

September 12th is set to be a big day for Apple even without the need to have these deals in place. During the event in which the Apple TV will receive a refresh, we also expect three new iPhones: iPhone 8 and the iPhone 7s / 7s Plus, and an updated Apple Watch to debut, as well as the final shipping version of iOS 11 receiving a concrete release date.

(Source: WSJ)

You may also like to check out:

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.