News.blog: iTunes gets new DVD releases in US

In the US, new movie releases from a number of major and independent studios will be available on iTunes the same day they're offered on DVD, Apple announced on Thursday.

Starting this week, iTunes customers will be able to purchase movies just now being released on DVD, including American Gangster and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. New releases are priced at $14.99 (£7.50), while most catalog titles are $9.99.

The studios making available the new movie releases and catalog titles are 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.

Other titles now on sale at the iTunes Store include Juno, Cloverfield and There Will Be Blood.

The iTunes Store offers more than 1,500 films, including 200 in high-definition format, Apple said.

In January, Apple announced a deal with top film studios for an iTunes Movie Rentals service that brings first-run movies to iTunes a month after their release on DVD. iTunes movie rentals cost $3.99 for new releases and $2.99 for catalog titles.