Now this sounds interesting, plus, it gets rid of a middleman. In an effort to tap into the success of Apples iTunes, Universal Studios is starting their own service that includes a hard copy! The service will employ Microsofts digital rights management technology.
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Universal's partner, Lovefilm, already has a movie download service that provides films from Warner Brothers on a rental basis. The new service announced on Thursday is download-to-own, meaning that the downloads will not expire. "It gives instant access, it gives portability and it gives much greater flexibility for the consumer to consume his product any way they want," said Universal Pictures UK Chairman Eddie Cunningham. Universal Pictures is part of General Electric's NBC Universal unit. Hollywood studios have been reluctant to sell digital versions of their blockbusters for fear they would be copied and pirated online. |
The article went on to say that Warner Brothers and other Hollywood studios are also expected to follow into the market soon.
The initial Universal Studios collection will consist of 35 movies, with recent films such as "Pride and Prejudice" and "Serenity." (I liked that one!) "King Kong" will sell for 19.99 pounds, ($34.70 US dollars). The service will also be available to AOL users, the UK service is run by Lovefilm.
Source: Reuters UK
