Apple reportedly declined to stream Sony's 'The Interview' on iTunes

December 25, 2014

After canceling the theatrical release of The Interview following threats from alleged North Korean hackers, Sony is said to have approached Apple about the possibility of streaming the movie on iTunes. That's according to a report published on the New York Times, which states that Apple declined Sony's offer:

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.

Earlier this month, Sony came under attack from a hacker group called the Guardians of Peace, which managed to access confidential information from Sony's servers. The hackers allegedly stole over tens of terabytes of information, including employee bank account information, screeners of unreleased movies, email communication and other confidential data.

It has been suggested that the events depicted in The Interview — a satirical movie starring James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists attempting to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un under the guidance of the CIA — were the main motivation behind the hack. Sony eventually canceled the release of the movie, slated for December 22, after the hackers threatened the studio with further attacks. Sony is now looking to screen the movie at select independent theaters across the US.

Source: The New York Times