Apple announced updates to its iTunes Store recently, which now includes the option to download movies, movie bundles, music box sets, TV episodes, and Season Passes at a later time, rather than immediately at the time of purchase.
The new “download later” options apply to items purchased on iTunes 11 (Mac or Windows PC versions), or on iOS devices running iOS 6 or later. When you purchase an item it will be added to your iTunes account, followed by a “Download Now?” button giving you the option to download immediately or later. Your purchased content will be accessible for streaming or downloading in the future via your Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud feature.
For example, when purchasing a TV season or Season Pass, you’ll be presented with three options:
  • Clicking the Later button will not download any episodes. You’ll be able to download episodes at any time from iTunes in the Cloud.
  • Clicking the Download All button will download all available episodes.
  • Clicking the Download button will download the earliest unseen episode of the season.
These options are useful for when you purchase media on your mobile device, but want to download it later to your computer. This new ability is similar to renting movies on iTunes, which already offers a “download later” option. Rented content, as opposed to purchased content, has a 24-hour window for watching.
Note that some features related to these options are not available in all countries and do require iTunes in the Cloud support. If your region or country does not have iTunes in the Cloud support, your content will be downloaded at the time of purchase. You can check herewhether you country is supported.