In only one week, Apple Computer’s iTunes store generated US$1 million in movie sales for Walt Disney, and that’s “just the beginning,” the head of Disney said Tuesday.By the end of this year, Disney expects to reap $50 million in movie sales through the iTunes store “at no marketing expense to us at all,” said Robert Iger, chief executive officer (CEO) of Disney, at a conference put on by The Goldman Sacks Group and webcast over the Internet.Disney became the first company to offer movies through the iTunes store last week, with a total of 75 films including new titles such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and older classics such as The Incredibles and Cinderella.The initial success of the venture, with more than 125,000 Disney titles sold in a week, should help boost confidence in the Internet as a lucrative place for entertainment companies to deliver content to users. It should also help allay fears over movie piracy, an issue the movie and recording industry has fought a tough battle against. “We are very, very bullish on consumption over electronically delivered media, and we’re taking a very optimistic view of technology as a friend, or a great enabler, and not a great predator,” Iger said.Disney plans to expand the number of movies it offers through iTunes and the number of Web-based stores where users can buy its movies. “This is not exclusive to Apple,” he said. During the Goldman conference, Iger also praised Apple CEO Steve Jobs and his performance as a Disney board member for bringing in his ideas on new opportunities for media in the Internet age.“He has become, very quickly, not only a great sounding board but a great adviser, someone I can turn to readily for advice in a lot of these areas,” said Iger.Jobs became a major shareholder and board member of Disney after the media and entertainment giant bought computer animation studio Pixar earlier this year. Jobs had been head of Pixar and a major shareholder in the company. An audio webcast of comments by Iger can be accessed via this link.-Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service (Taipei Bureau)Related Links: Apple Touts New iPods, iTunes Movie Downloads Apple ‘iTV’ Targets Couch Potatoes Apple ‘iTV’ Could Feature Google Video Content Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by NTT DATA Transform your technology and accelerate business outcomes with NTT DATA’s Technology Solutions By Miriam Murphy, Chief Executive Officer at NTT, Europe Dec 06, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by SAP How the cloud and AI will help more companies become future proof In a world where macroeconomic uncertainty has become the new normal, being future-proof is no longer a ‘nice to have’. It’s a must have. By Scott Russell, Customer Success at SAP Dec 06, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership feature 6 generative AI hazards IT leaders should avoid The opportunities to use generative AI will greatly vary for each organization, but the ways it can go wrong are turning out to be fairly universal. By Mary Branscombe Dec 06, 2023 11 mins CIO Application Performance Management Generative AI interview Delivering value through IT at Village Roadshow During a recent CIO Leadership Live session, Michael Fagan, chief transformation officer of Australian cinema and theme park company Village Roadshow, spoke with CIO’s editor in chief for APAC Cathy O'Sullivan about delivering value, colla By CIO staff Dec 06, 2023 8 mins CIO CIO Leadership Live Change Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe