Ben Reid
14 Sep 2006 14:54
In the wake of the recent upgrade to its iTunes Store, Apple Computer has said its new movie service will not be available in much of Asia anytime soon.
The company launched the latest addition to its market-leading Music Store service in the United States on Tuesday, adding scores of Disney movies to its vast online library.
But due to problems with rife piracy, and a failure to agree licensing arrangements with record and movie companies, Asia, the world's fastest growing digital market, has been shut out.
"We cannot comment on the specifics but it is true that iTunes is not available in Asia," said Tony Li, Apple's marketing director for Asia. That goes for music and movies."
In the Asia-Pacific region, Japan and Australia are the only countries with access to the iTunes Store. Some labels have even refused to allow their songs into the Japanese service, in spite of the fact that it's now the world's second largest consumer of music after the United States.
Source:
Forbes