Going by the information forwarded by the sources ‘in the know,’ Apple is ‘in talks’ with television networks for lowering the price of downloaded TV shows to almost $1, coinciding with the late-March launch of its new iPad tablet computer.

It has further been revealed that Apple has already initiated a test of the proposed 99 cents price – which is half the price of standard-definition TV episodes - for some specific shows on its iTunes service, including episodes of comedy show ‘Wonder Showzen’ from MTV Networks; ‘Celebrity Paranormal Project’ from Viacom; and drama series ‘Children’s Hospital’ from Warner Bros.

Commenting on the Apple move to lower the downloaded TV shows’ prices, a digital media strategist of a big US media conglomerate opined: “If you move five times the volume of sales at half the price, it’s a good idea. The argument for holding the line gets bad quickly.”

With Apple - which currently offers standard-definition TV show episodes for $1.99 and high-definition episodes for $2.99 - looking to finalize a deal to extend that price to more shows, some free-to-air and pay-television networks have agreed to the lower prices after initial dilly-dallying.

Meanwhile, Apple is alos reportedly pursuing discussions with some prospective partners for the creation of a $30-per-month “best of TV” subscription service, which media companies dread would have a devastating effect on the traditional distribution associations.