Apple Tries Again at TV

Apple is making another push to bring Internet-delivered television to the living room, but Chief Executive Steve Jobs's plan to offer 99-cent TV-show rentals is getting limited support from media companies.

In four years, Apple has made little headway with its Apple TV, a $229 device with a hard drive for storing movies and other purchased content. On Wednesday, Apple introduced a $99 replacement that relies on streaming rented movies and TV shows. The 99-cent rentals will be limited to a selection of shows from Fox, ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel and BBC America. General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, Time Warner Inc. and CBS Corp., turned down Apple's new pricing options and don't expect to sign up for TV-show rentals as currently configured. Episodes would be available starting the day after they air, and without commercials. Only hours later, Amazon.com Inc. matched Apple's price for TV shows from ABC, Fox and the BBC. Its 99-cent streaming-video offering includes more than 260 shows.