Customers of the iTunes Store in Australia can now buy episodes of popular TV shows, but the price is significantly higher than in the US and series discounts are thin on the ground.

Episodes are priced at $2.99 - this converts to $US2.85. Reversing the conversion from $US1.99 and adding GST gives $2.29, which means a 30% uplift.

The curious thing is that one of the shows (McLeod's Daughters) is already being sold by Nine for $1.95, while Canal Road and Sea Partol episodes can be downloaded free of charge (see NineMSN).

$2.99 per episode also means it can be significantly cheaper to buy a DVD, but I suppose that lacks the immediacy of downloading.

You pays your money and you takes your choice - though you can save by stocking up on iTunes Store gift cards when they're being discounted. I believe Big W's $50 card for $30 offer finished yesterday, but it wasn't the first time cards have been sold below face value.

Anyway, here's what's initially on offer:

• Disney/ABC Studios: Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, and Scrubs
• ABC: Summer Heights High, We Can Be Heroes, Double the Fist, Foreign Correspondent Postcards, Sleek Geeks, and Surfing the Menu
• Disney Channel: Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Cory in the House
• Nine Network: Canal Road, McLeod's Daughters, Sea Patrol and Urban Magic
• MTV Networks: Blue's Clues, The Hills, Laguna Beach, My Super Sweet Sixteen, South Park, and Pimp My Ride