From C21Media.net, NBC Universal and Viacom are the latest major US players to rule out placing their content on Apple TV's revamped TV rental service, following a similar call from Warner Bros.

Apple's latest attempt to penetrate the TV market has so far enticed Disney-ABC - unsurprising, considering Apple CEO Steve Jobs is the Mouse's largest shareholder - as well as News Corp-owned Fox and BBC America, which will offer individual episodes at US$0.99. However, many other companies have expressed concerns over the rental.

Yesterday, Viacom became the latest to back away from the Apple service, with CEO Philippe Dauman telling investors the price tag would not "work" for either the company nor the content industry, according to reports in the US.