Starting this Saturday, movies from Universal studio can now be re-downloaded on any device with an Apple ID, or streamed directly to an Apple TV. The expansion adds hundreds or more videos to those from existing supporters like Sony Pictures.
Still absent is support for Fox. As before, any of its movies include a disclaimer that they can’t be downloaded through iTunes in the Cloud.
Both Universal and Fox were left out of the initial batch primarily out of their obligations to HBO. The premium TV channel’s contracts for some studios’ movies includes an exclusivity window that’s meant to protect their run on TV, but which has had the side effect of complicating cloud services like Apple’s. HBO has had no qualms about altering contracts, but it has had to negotiate finalized details with Universal and Fox longer than most
