The scuttlebutt is still pretty thick, but all indications are this is legit: Rupert Murdoch plans to further monetize his MySpace Internet empire of embarrassing teenage profiles and friends lists by offering episodes of Fox’s award-winning action-drama 24 for sale for $1.99 apiece, beginning May 19.
Just last week, Fox began offering many of its leading shows (including 24) for sale via Apple’s iTunes Music Store at the same price.
The move could be a money-maker for Fox, which only takes home a portion of each $2 sale on iTunes. On MySpace, Fox controls both the distributor and the online seller&151;and MySpace may currently qualify as the most-trafficked Internet site on the planet, consuming more bandwidth than Google on a typical day.
Fox plans to offer episodes from 24‘s first and just-wrapping fifth season; two episodes will be available for free, sponsored by Burger King.
The move is likely the first of several additions to MySpace to convert the site from a social networking hub to a lucrative online business focussing on Fox’s stable of media properties.