Buena Vista Pay Television has signed a pact with Movielink to allow viewers to download Walt Disney Co new releases and selected library titles. This landmark distribution deal encompasses films from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone, Miramax and Dimension. The first titles to be available at Movielink include the Academy Award Best Picture winner CHICAGO, GANGS OF NEW YORK, THE RECRUIT, 25TH HOUR, FRIDA and THE JUNGLE BOOK 2, MONSTERS, INC., THE ROOKIE and IN THE BEDROOM, among others.
"We are extremely pleased to be able to offer Disney movies on Movielink," said Jessica Algazi, Movielink's vp of content. "With Disney, Touchstone, Miramax and Dimension titles coming to the service, consumers will be able to choose from an even greater selection of movies for secure download -- including family films, box office hits, critically acclaimed independents and Academy Award winners. This deal illustrates the belief in the Internet as a new and potentially vibrant channel of movie distribution by another major studio and highlights Movielink's interest in doing deals with all content providers to help open up this channel of distribution even further."
"Our relationship with Movielink opens the door to exciting new territory," said Dan Cohen, svp/general manager Buena Vista Pay TV. "This deal paves the way for today's Internet-savvy audience, providing unprecedented access to our movies aboard a high-quality and secure Internet site, and is part of Disney's overall strategy to make digital content available in both a convenient manner for a customer-friendly price."
This new deal marks the sixth major studio to sign on with Movielink, increasing the eight-month-old services initial library of 175 titles to 400. The other studios include Universal, Warner Bros., MGM, Paramount and Columbia TriStar. Once the film is downloaded the customer has 30 days to view the film and can watch it as many times as they wish within the first 24-hours of its initial play. Rental prices range from $2.95 to $4.99. Currently the service is only available for PC users using a broadband connection. Other requirements include Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP and the latest versions of either the Real Networks RealOne player or the Windows Media player.
Movielink, LLC (www.movielink.com) is the online movie download service offering U.S. broadband customers films for download. Buena Vista Pay TV is a leader in the Pay TV, pay-per-view and VOD markets.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
