p2pnet - rss feed: Hollywood goes online
p2p news / p2pnet: Having fallen flat on its face with UMD movies, Sony is now trying to get back into the game with rip-off "digital sell-throughs".
Partnering with the totally useless Hollywood Movielink and CinemaNow sites, "the service will allow broadband Internet users in the United States the opportunity to download-to-own for the very first time a wide range of entertainment content from the SPHE and MGM collective libraries," says Sony.
Movielink and CinemaNow have been trying, and failing, to get people to merely rent movies online.
Now, Warner Bros, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM, "will offer some first-run and older titles on Movielink," says the Washington Post.
Hollywood will try to off ‘new’ flics at between $20 and $30. ‘Older’ titles will go for $10 to $20, hope the studios.
Sony and Lionsgate said they’ll sell films through CinemaNow site and, “Only films from The Walt Disney Co. will not be available, although both services say talks are ongoing,” according to the story.
Meanwhile, “Our goal is to continue to provide engaging entertainment content in the most innovative, convenient and secure manner possible,” says Sony’s Benjamin S. Feingold.
In other words, the movies will be DRMd to the eye-balls.
But no matter. They’ll be good investments for organized criminals who’ll be more than happy to buy pre-digitized offerings at $30 per, say, crack them, and then peddle them on the street corners and blackmarkets of the world.
Also See:
flat on its face- Goodbye Sony UMD, March 31, 2006
Sony - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to Launch Download-to-Own Business April 3, April 3, 2006
Washington Post - Hollywood Studios to Sell Movies Online, April 3, 2006
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:17 pm
“the service will allow broadband Internet users in the United States”
Guess I’m not a fortunate broadband user - I’m in Canada.
“Meanwhile, “Our goal is to continue to provide engaging entertainment content in the most innovative, convenient and secure manner possible,” says Sony’s Benjamin S. Feingold.”
Hmm.
Secure - depends, but likely.
Convenient - probably.
Innovative - really…?
April 3rd, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Guess I’m not a fortunate broadband user - I’m in Canada.
You won’t be missing anything. Whatever they offer on this download “service” will be available at Wal-Mart, Target, Netflix, Blockbuster, and everywhere else. Possibly on used DVD for much less.
April 3rd, 2006 at 4:50 pm
Sony lost my interest.
April 3rd, 2006 at 5:24 pm
… but I see this as a good sign …
This is another product that only a couple of uneducated consumers will buy, and after this plan fails again DRM will slowly be dropped - only becouse they _must_ sell sell sell!!!
People not buying cripple-ware is paying off… but we have to be patient
April 3rd, 2006 at 8:39 pm
This isn’t about selling movies online, not with these kinds of restrictions and lousy choice. No, this is about providing an excuse to SUE the hell out of consumers. That’s how all the other lame music services got started and they’re not working either. This is a ticket to sue people into buying they’re over priced content, that’s all.