YouTube adds thousands of movies
YouTube has secured deals with three major Hollywood studios to deliver over 3,000 movies for rent on the popular video streaming website, with some movies to be available day-and-date with DVD. The studios include Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., and Universal.
This move highlights several market indicators, including the studios becoming much more comfortable with digital delivery, Google’s long-term problem to make YouTube profitable, and a closer relationship with Google and the studios who have long had legal battles over copyrighted content YouTube has allowed to stream. The studios have sued Google claiming YouTube became popular because of illegally obtained video owned by the studios.
One of the biggest objections to online movie streaming was selection. Netflix’s original streaming library was mostly older movies and B-movies. Things have changed. This deal will bring new releases to YouTube such as Oscar-winner The King’s Speech, not-Oscar-winning Due Date, Little Fockers, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and more.
New release rentals will be available for $3.99, and catalog titles (such as Goodfellas, Scarface and Taxi Driver) will be $2.99 each. Renters will have 30 days to begin the movie, and 24 hours to finish it. Some titles will be available free of charge.
YouTube will also include “YouTube Movie Extras” which will feature behind-the-scenes, interviews and more provided by MakingOf.
Google also announced these movies will be available on Android devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Mortorola Xoom owners will be getting updates immediately. Rented videos can be viewed on the TV, computer or portable device without extra fees. Say you rent a movie while on a WiFi enabled flight on your tablet, you will be able to finish it when you get home on your TV.
There are so many options in the market right now for streaming video. It seems the cable model may soon be a thing of the past.
