Apple Yanks TV Rentals, Suggests People Prefer Outright Buys

If you aren't a heavy Apple TV user, you may not have noticed anything different tonight upon firing up your box. But if you've been on a renting rampage, something may seem... off. And it is. Completely off. Apple has decided to quietly (or as quietly as Apple can do something) pull the plug on TV episode renting from within iTunes. Now, the only option remaining is to purchase them per-episode or a Season Pass (if applicable). According to spokesperson Tom Neumayr, the company has seen that their customers overwhelming prefer buying over renting, but the skeptic in us has to wonder if that's completely true.

Rumors have been flying that Apple is fixing to change up their entire iTunes system, and TV shows could  be a part of that. The good news is that purchases can be streamed to any Apple device via "iTunes in the Cloud." Based on reports, Fox has also been less interested in rentals in recent months, and even they think that long-term ownership is preferred.


Perhaps this is just the first shoe to drop, and Apple will not only be unveiling new iPods in the fall, but entirely reworked content delivery services to spruce 'em up with content. Something tells us Tim Cook has a big fall ahead of him.