Last week it was reported by Macworld that movies that were previously available on the iTunes Store had disappeared. According to Macworld of 15 films that had been bookmarked for later viewing only 6 were still available for purchase and rental.
CNet has now managed to solve the mystery, explaining that the movies are being removed due to licensing restrictions. The site also managed to get a similar answer from Netflix who have the same problem of movies disappearing from their collection.
The problem is "release windows" a term used to describe periods of time in which a certain platform is allowed to show or sell a movie. A typical cycle is as follows; a movie is released into cinemas, then moves on DVD then onto pay-per-view and iTunes and finally onto broadcast TV.
Normally, release windows don't affect retailers or video-rental services after they've begun selling or renting films. Warner Bros. doesn't go into Best Buy and pull DVDs off the shelf when Comcast airs Casablanca. The corner Mom and Pop video store doesn't surrender copies of Gladiator to Universal Studios when the film appears on ABC. But Internet stores are being treated differently. What this means for iTunes and Netflix customers is that movies will pop in and out of the services.
Both Apple and Netflix confirmed to CNet that this is indeed the case.