Lions Gate CEO Reveals Deal with Apple
The rumor mill regarding an upcoming iTunes-like Apple movie store has been operating at full power for some time now, on this blog and on many others. Even the editors of MacWorld have gone back and forth on the issue.
Lions Gate CEO John Feltheimer has finally presented us with concrete evidence that lends credibility to all our mere speculations. During a financial earnings conference call, Feltheimer announced that the studio has reached movie downloading deals with CinemaNow, Movielink, and, lo and behold, iTunes. Studio president Steve Beeks also mentioned that iTunes downloads should be available by the end of the year.
It’s tough to say whether or not Apple–which prides itself on innovative ad campaigns and surprise announcements–will be happy about this leak. Brandon Hill at Daily Tech, for one, thinks that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will not be pleased.
But then again, I think it is safe to assume that the whole world knows that iTunes-driven movie downloads are coming sooner or later. The question was always only: When? Assuredly conscious of this, Beeks’ comments show a wonderful level discretion: “In terms of iTunes movie downloads, I think most likely some time before the end of the year. We know when they are planning on launching, but since they have not announced it publicly, I do not think it is our place to say anything more about that.†Way to keep it quiet Steve.
Thanks to Engadget for the scoop.