iTMS: Multi-Pass for TV shows, a step towards....

Thanks to Eban for this report.

A new offer is available on the US iTMS: the Multi-Pass. It has been launched in collaboration with TV channel comedy Central and it concerns 2 shows for the moment "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" (from March 8th).

For 9$99, iTMS users can download the most recent episode and the next 15 to come or by them independently for 1$99 each (of course it is more expensive). The multi-Pass is not a time-period-fee system as stated by Eddy Cue, VP iTunes. Indeed, the downloaded files can be stored, played as many times as you want, and are in fact bought, not like other systems used by Napster or Rhapsody.

This offer is restricted to the US iTMS for the moment. For sure, Apple will need longer discussions, most of them country-specific, before such offers are extended to the rest of the world.