Apple has announced that surfers in the UK will now be able to buy or rent downloadable movies from the iTunes store.

More than 700 films from 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros. MGM, Sony and Lionsgate will be available on the iTunes store.

Titles on offer include Hitman, I Am Legend and National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets.

Buying a movie will cost £10.99 for a new title or £6.99 for older films. Some will be available in high definition.

But if you want to rent rather than buy, you can download a film and you'll have up to 30 days to watch it, and once you have begun watching it you'll have 48 hours to finish it.

New titles cost £3.49 to rent and library titles are priced at £2.49.

When a movie is rented, it starts downloading from the iTunes Store directly to iTunes or Apple TV, and users with a fast internet connection can start viewing the movie in seconds, according to Apple.

"We're kicking off movies on the iTunes Store in the UK with over 700 films for purchase and rent," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes.

"We think customers in the UK are going to love being able to enjoy their favourite movies on their iPod, iPhone or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV," he continued.

Analyst Mark Mulligan of Jupiter Research said that Apple's offering set it apart from other companies offering on-demand and catchup services in the UK.

"Apple's UK TV shows downloads had previously had the challenge of competing against content available elsewhere on online catch-up offerings such as Sky's SkyPlayer and the BBC's iPlayer. This development puts clear blue water between Apple and the rest," he said.

www.apple.com/uk/itunes
www.jupiterresearch.com

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