APPLE announced DVD-quality iTunes movie rentals and direct AppleTV rentals in HD. Rentals will cost between $2.99 and $4.99 and be available 30 days after the DVD release. Users will have 30 days to begin watching a download and 24 hours to finish after it starts. All the major studios are supporting the venture. For a full run-down of Apple’s latest announcements, please see our Macworld Special Report.
OPRAH and DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS will enter a joint venture to launch the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in 2009. Oprah.com will come under the control of the new company, which will be 50-50 owned by Harpo and Discovery with Oprah as chairwoman. Discovery’s Health Channel will be converted into OWN, jump-starting the new network and making it available in the 70 million homes that already receive Discovery Health. Discovery is hoping that a strong brand name will help differentiate the channel in an increasingly cluttered TV landscape. Oprah’s daily show may transition to OWN when its current contract expires.
PBS has launched a beta version of a children’s virtual world called PBS Kids Play. The “online neighborhood” is subscription-based and ad-free, costing $9.95 per month or $79 for a year-long subscription. The community offers children’s educational games and other content starring PBS characters. Parents will be able to monitor children’s learning using the site’s detailed Progress Charts.
STRIKING WRITERS have plans to launch Strike TV, an online channel that will begin in February. The channel will feature short-form content by striking WGA members. Videos can be as long as 40 minutes but are expected to be in the 5 minute range. In related news, WGA West president Patric Verrone said he still plans to reject any waiver requests for the Academy Awards.
COMCAST had plans to convert all public, educational and government channels to digital blocked by a Michigan county. The move would have required consumers to purchase or rent converter boxes to view the channels. Comcast must now continue to broadcast the PEG offerings in analog format.