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NYT: Apple declined offer from Sony Pictures to stream ‘The Interview’ on iTunes

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Update: Sony has now announced that “The Interview” will be available on YouTube, Google Play, and Xbox Video today, December 24th, at 1PM Eastern. The film will cost $14.99 to own or $5.99 to rent. Google Play Movies & TV is available for iOS on the App Store.

The New York Times reported earlier today that Sony Pictures had approached Apple about the possibility of streaming the upcoming film “The Interview,” which features actors James Franco and Seth Rogen (who will also appear in the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic) as a US talk show host and producer tasked by the CIA with assassinating North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.

Earlier this month, hackers with ties to North Korea breached Sony’s system, stole terabytes of data, and threatened physical attacks against theaters that showed the movie. Most national theater chains backed out of the premiere and Sony decided to scrub the entire affair.

The studio immediately began searching for an on-demand service that would host the movie online, including iTunes. According to the Times:

It remained unclear, however, whether any on-demand service would take “The Interview.” According to people briefed on the matter, Sony had in recent days asked the White House for help in lining up a single technology partner — Apple, which operates iTunes — but the tech company was not interested, at least not on a speedy time table. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Sony was rumored to be planning to put the movie on its own streaming service, Crackle, but those reports were quickly denied. Several independent theaters petitioned to show the movie, and the studio agreed to move forward with a limited theatrical release on Christmas.

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Comments

  1. Avenged110 - 9 years ago

    Apple can fo, I’ll go see it at the theater.

  2. Andy Brooks - 9 years ago

    Stream he flipping movie Apple!! Stand for some good values!!!! We’re begging you!!!

    • darevsek - 9 years ago

      Why don’t Sony use it’s OWN streaming service??? Where is your “good values” speech for Sony?

      It’s just about the money, not the “good values”, or of actually having balls to release the movie. Otherwise Sony would release on their own streaming service… plain and simple. I mean, think about this, Sony put’s it on their service, and they will get some new customers. But not like iTunes customer base. Sony don’t have the physical stores that could be “hit” like movie theaters were threated with. Apple does.

      Bottom line – I commend Apple for taking a cautioned approach with this subject. Thinking of it’s employee’s in their stores around the world, instead of the “money”.

    • Andrew Messenger - 9 years ago

      Maybe they’re waiting for the film where president of the united states gets blown up.

      • Shon - 9 years ago

        WTF?!?

      • Andrew Messenger - 9 years ago

        i love how the first response to this is “WTF” as if it’s outlandish to imply that someone would make a video where the leader of a country gets assassinated via a huge explosion…

      • Andrew: You win the internet sir. Bravo!

  3. Gregory Wright - 9 years ago

    Apple has stores all over the world. I can see why Apple would not stream the movie. The risks are to high.

    • Dean Har - 9 years ago

      Risks of what? Apple doesn’t have much of a market (if any at all) in North Korea. Most of the world isn’t siding with North Korea either.

      • Gregory Wright - 9 years ago

        Apple is one of the U.S. leading companies. It would make a handsome target for retaliation. I would not put it pass North Korea to contract with a group or individual to target Apple. As I said, Apple has stores worldwide, in countries that does not have the security apparatus as the U.S. does. I would not put anything pass that Lunatic in NK. Additionally, why provide NK the incentive to target Apple’s computer networks. Nope, if I was sitting in the room with Apple executives making the decision to stream the movie and considering all the risks, I’d pass too. Besides, this will story will be back page news in three weeks.

    • Air Burt - 9 years ago

      They’re not doing it right now because of the iTunes Connect shutdown. It’ll be up in a couple of weeks.

  4. Scott Rose - 9 years ago

    Correction to your article: There is absolutely no evidence that North Korea is behind the Sony hacks. http://gawker.com/a-lot-of-smart-people-think-north-korea-didnt-hack-sony-1672899940

    • samuelsnay - 9 years ago

      Oh Christ, here we go.

      Go jerk off to “Loose Change” for the thousandth time today, nutbag. The adults are talking.

  5. varera (@real_varera) - 9 years ago

    Too bad, Apple.

  6. Brian (@BrianVoll) - 9 years ago

    Probably would have rented it on iTunes. oh well

  7. Dave Huntley - 9 years ago

    The story implies Apple was in no hurry like Sony was, not that Apple was worried about Kim Jung Il fans wrecking stores.

    So I am not sure why you are all so hopping mad. So y has its own streaming service, Apple would not jump in without some thought. Who would? Movie theatres took a week for some of them to accept it.

  8. standardpull - 9 years ago

    How much money was Sony demanding of Apple for the right to stream the movie? According to the Times article they said Sony had an obligation to make $$$ from the film. Heck, Sony isn’t even considering streaming it on Crackle, Sony’s own property.

  9. rahhbriley - 9 years ago

    This just isn’t Apple’s fight to fight and Sony has their own streaming service if they really care about the principle. Apple has a lot of customer data to protect and trade secrets that they value. No reason to risk liability for someone’s else issues. They may agree Sony should release it (or not, who knows). But they know damed well to stay the heck away from this circus.

    • Air Burt - 9 years ago

      It’ll be on iTunes in a week or two. This is only because of the iTunes Connect shutdown.

  10. anthonyjrwtf - 9 years ago

    You guys have to understand… Apple is trying to make its mark in China, which has North Korea’s back. Let’s be real now – it would be an awful business move.

    • Air Burt - 9 years ago

      Nope. It’s the iTunes Connect shutdown. The Interview will be on iTunes in a week or two.

  11. Dmitriy Kozyrev - 9 years ago

    Way to go sissies

  12. vkd108 - 9 years ago

    I wouldn’t be surprised if this stupid film didn’t exist. Who cares anyway? It is just political nonsense pushing for our attention. Give it a miss.

  13. Tony Mallory - 9 years ago

    Greenlighiting this movie was stupid idea in the first place. Personally I hope Sony looses a metric shit-ton of money on it.

  14. Ján Šichula - 9 years ago

    I am not much into movie going but I am daily enjoying freedom of expression that is a crucial pillar of western society. It is a pity if Apple really did miss such an opportunity to stand for this crucial value. Western values need not to stay here forever and should their dissolution ever happen, then the free market and accompanying drive for innovation will sink with them. But on that day it will be too late to cry that an opportunity to stand for freedom of speech and art was missed.

    • Air Burt - 9 years ago

      Just the iTunes Connect shutdown. Apple values its employees vacation time more than a stupid movie.

  15. Tom Grace - 9 years ago

    Interesting. Tim Cook has lots of courage for gay rights but none for the First Amendment or America against cyber terrorism.

    • Air Burt - 9 years ago

      iTunes Connect shutdown. No one in the offices to put this movie on iTunes.

  16. barcamatic - 9 years ago

    Never been so disappointed. I’m not sure what reasons Apple might have but it is inexcusable.

    • Air Burt - 9 years ago

      iTunes Connect shutdown. Apple respects its employees enough to not call them back from vacation for a dumb movie.

      • Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 9 years ago

        How hard would it be to send in an intern to upload the file?

        Apple chose not to host this movie because they are cowardly.

      • Air Burt - 9 years ago

        Not that simple. Apple will put this up after everyone comes back on the 29th. Quit your bitching and get a life.

  17. John Smith - 9 years ago

    Very cowardly by apple.

    Years ago in UK we had the Salman Rushdie/Satanic Verses hooha. An author none of us had ever heard of, a book which no one would ever have read. Some guy in iran decided the book had to be stopped. UK government said no and subsequently spent millions of tax payers money protecting the unheard of author while the book was made available for hardly anyone to buy.

    The issue is not the book – or the film – it’s about the right to publish rubbish, uncensored by extremists.

    Apple very vocal about defending us against threats from the NSA or promoting gay rights but have dropped the ball on this one.

  18. Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 9 years ago

    Rather comical that this isn’t available on PSN. Then again, PSN has been broken for days as Sony seem completely incapable of protecting it from being attacked by pond scum kiddies with a rented botnet.