Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer says Apple's plans to rent consumers TV episodes through its iTunes online store is a deal the entertainment giant can walk away from.
Meyer, speaking to analyst Jessica Reif at the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch 2010 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference last week, said WB just didn't think the price--99 cents per episode rental--was the right model, and instead said the company preferred to license entire seasons, rather than single episodes.
"We just don't think the value proposition is a good one for us," Meyer said, adding that the company didn't like the idea of opening up "a rental business in television at a low price."
Apple earlier this month rolled out a deal with Fox and ABC that let consumers rent episodes of shows like Glee, Hell's Kitchen and Castle available for 48 hours for 99 cents. The deal included no purchase option, unlike Amazon.com, for example.
Apple has also approached CBS and NBC but, so far, neither network has been willing to pony up episodes for $1.
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