The Financial Times is reporting that Apple will unveil a new iTunes movie rental service at MacWorld 2008 (January 14 to 18, 2008). Unlike the current model where movies can be purchased, these downloads will only work for a limited amount of time.
A person familiar with the situation indicates that News Corp’s 20th Century Fox studio is the first studio to sign on. Others such as Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount and Warner Bros are also expected to offer iTunes movie rentals but agreements may not be in place in time for the MacWorld announcement.
It is also expected that Apple will announce new Fox DVD releases will come with a digital file protected by Apple’s FairPlay DRM, allowing the content to be transferred to a computer or to a video iPod.