Cult Of Mac is claiming exclusively that they have been tipped off by an anonymous person who reports that Apple’s next Apple TV may offer “month’s worth” of TV shows for just $1.

The news comes less than a week before Apple is set to take to the stage at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Fransisco, the event at which it is expected the company will introduce the next-generation of it’s fairly popular digital media center, Apple TV.

Today’s rumor suggests that Apple will offer customers access to entire seasons of hit TV shows such as CBS’ Big Bang Theory and ABC’s Desperate Housewives, for just a $1-a-month access fee.

If true, the plan sounds like something Apple might do. It’s simple and easy to understand, and the extremely low price tag would likely attract large numbers of consumers. And it would be a big boost for the new, low-cost AppleTV that Apple is rumored to be revamping next week, renaming it iTV and having it run the iOS, the same operating system used on the iPhone and iPad. It will be priced at just $99.

In some ways, it makes more sense than a $1-a-show rental plan. Many of the shows are already free on sites like ABC.com or Hulu — albeit with ads.

Perhaps most importantly, the $1-a-month-plan is not a subscription plan, but it’s pretty close. Last year, Apple tried to offer a video subscription service, according to reports, but couldn’t get the networks to sign on because they wanted to protect rebroadcasting deals. The networks — CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox — make considerable revenue from allowing cable partners like Comcast and Time Warner Cable to rebroadcast shows.

Apple at the moment sells shows a la carte or by season, which studios and networks see as incremental income and not harmful to rebroadcasting deals. However, at $2.99 a show, and $20-$70 a season, consumers haven’t been rushing out to buy an AppleTV.

Apple’s $1-a-month-plan would be an interesting mix between a subscription rental service and an a la carte system. It may be an important stepping stone towards a more comprehensive subscription plan that would offer bundles of shows for a monthly fee.

On the other hand, $1 a month seems very cheap. This would be good for Apple, of course, but it’s not a lot of revenue for studios. But many are already giving away these shows for free on Hulu and their websites.

It’s certainly an interesting rumor and one we’ll be keeping our eyes on as the run up to Apple’s media event gets ever shorter. What do you think? – Is Apple about to offer customers entire season passes for just $12 a year? Somehow, we doubt it.

[via CoM]