Apple has already allowed for re-downloading of TV shows, and it is likely that movies are coming as well. This means that iCloud will fully support customers who want all of their media on demand and not tied down by devices — music, movies, tv shows, etc.
This doesn’t mean that Apple is going to move forward with instant streaming of their content, it just means that the content you own is yours to distribute to all of your devices. Like owning a CD from your favorite artist, you will have the option of putting that music on whatever device you own.
I don’t buy stock in Apple wanting to make a TV with instant streaming. Netflix is already a add-on service available on Apple TV and there are rumors that apps in general can be added on. There is no point in Apple themselves allowing for streaming from the Cloud, since they already have apps available to do this for them.
If I owned an Apple TV, I would like the ability to stream:
- Whatever I have on iTunes (stored in a Time Capsule, local Mac, Apple TV, etc.)
- Netflix Instant content
- Hulu content
Then, I should also be able to download applications via an Apple TV app store, like a CBS Apple TV app. I imagine that the UI for this would be similar to the Launchpad, which would streamline all of Apple’s software.