Apple taking loss on new release movie sales?

Apple may be selling new release titles on the iTunes Store for less than wholesale price, according to a Wall Street Journal report. A person familiar with the matter says Apple is paying the studios a wholesale price of close to $16, while offering those titles on the Store for $14.99 each. Earlier this week, Apple announced that it would begin offering new release films from all of the major studios for purchase on the iTunes Store on the same day as the DVD release, and has since enabled Apple TV users to purchase videos directly from the device. “This is a game changer,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “For all the studios to offer all their movies [on the same date] as DVD, with the most influential marketing company in the digital space, is a very exciting development.”