iTunes to sell Viacom & Disney shows

Content from Viacom-owned channels MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy, and Disney's ABC Studios and the Disney Channel, will now be available from the iTunes store.

Viewers can download the likes of ABC's Lost, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty and MTV’s Pimp My Ride and Laguna Beach for £1.89 per episode from the iTunes UK Store for viewing on either computer or iPod.

"We’re thrilled to bring TV programming to the iTunes Store in the UK," said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. "We’ve got 28 shows and expect to continue to add more great programming."

The list of shows available from ABC includes Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Commander in Chief and Nightstalker. Disney Channel’s programming for download includes Jake Long: American Dragon, Kim Possible, That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Playhouse Disney titles Handy Manny, Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

It has yet to be confirmed whether new series' of ongoing US shows like Lost will follow the US release schedule on iTunes, or whether because of existing rights deals with UK broadcasters, UK downloads of new series' will be restricted.

David Lynn, executive vice president and managing director, MTV Networks UK and Ireland, said: "Making our content available on the iTunes UK store gives our audiences the ability to watch our hit programming whenever they want and wherever they are."

The Viacom-owned content available from today includes selected series' from MTV's Pimp My Ride, My Super Sweet Sixteen, Laguna Beach and Barrio 19; Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, Avatar: The Legend of Aang, Drake & Josh, SpongeBob SquarePants and Genie in the House; and Paramount's South Park, Comedy Blue, That 70s Show, Jongleurs Unleashed and The World Stands Up.