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Disney launches MovieBeam, a datacast pay-per-view

29 September 2003 14:03 by Petteri "dRD" Pyyny | 5 comments

Disney has launched through its subsdiary, Buena Vista Datacasting, a new pay-per-view (or video-on-demand, whatever you wish to call it) service in the U.S. The new service targets heavy DVD renters by offering ability to download movies to a set-top box and watch them any number of times during the 24 hour rental period.

Unlike movie studios' joint venture MovieLink (that Disney didn't participate at first, but now offers movies to), MovieBeam doesn't use PC at all, but uses its own custom-made set-top box instead.

Service costs $6.99 a month for the device rental fee and each movie costs between $2.49 and $3.99, depending on the movie. At any time, system promises, there will be 100 movies available and out of those 100, at least 10 will be new releases (how new -- that they don't disclose). Basically the service aims to offer somewhat hybrid of a traditional cableTV pay-per-view and DVD rental service by offering more chances to watch the movie (as many times as user wants to, during the 24hr period), without pre-defined timeslots, but with no need to worry about late rental fees or picking up and returning the movie to your local Blockbuster.

Service will launch in three U.S. cities in this week: Jacksonville, Salt Lake City and Spokane. Disney expects to carry out a nationwide launch sometime next year. In addition to Disney's selection, the service offers movies also from other major movie studios, including Sony, MGM and New Line Cinema. So far Disney doesn't have any plans to offer other services other than movies through the MovieBeam.

Source: News.com

Permalink to this article

MovieBeam purchased by Indian buyer (13 July 2008)

Disney's video-on-demand service put on hold (29 April 2005)

Study: Streaming video subscription worth $4.5bn in 2007 (23 September 2003)

Disney joins Movielink -on-line movie service (25 July 2003)

Hollywood.com starts offering Movielink content (16 April 2003)

Movielink launched -- only for U.S. customers (11 November 2002)

Online movie services are coming (4 November 2002)

Movielink to use both, Real and Microsoft (30 October 2002)

CinemaNow to sell Warner Bros movies (9 September 2002)

Fox abandons Movies.com venture (29 April 2002)

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Discuss this article!
Gryphus (Newbie) 30 September 2003 8:24
Let's see...A movie studio wants me to download huge amounts of data over my broadband connection, probably using some nice DRM-infested spyware to see what I'm watching. My ISP wants to limit the amount of data I can download, and either reduce my down speed to a trickle or cut it off all together when I exceed some unknown limit. Sure. That's going to work.... [ + quote]
Shegax (Junior Member) 30 September 2003 20:20
Word, coudn't hacve said it better myself. Shega (adrenaline Is the closest Total freedom) [ + quote]
Fool1 (Inactive) 5 October 2003 14:45
Gryphus you are a F***** idiot. What makes you think you would use your ISP for movie downloads? If you had bothered to educate yourself regarding MOVIEBEAM you would have discovered that the updates come over the airwaves. Now instead of spreading garbage lies, go crawl back under your rock....... [ + quote]
Prisoner (Inactive) 6 October 2003 6:15
What I want to know is what was the point in making 48hrs rental DVD that die and fill up land fills, when this service will be available. As far as I can tell from the math this is cheaper, less likely to get blacked discs, and provides what most lazy people want. To sit down turn on the TV and there is the movie. You don`t have to wait for it in the mail, worry about it dieing before watching, ete. SO what was the point of EZ-D when this will make it extinct, before even started. I am not a number I am a Free Man [ + quote]
Gryphus (Newbie) 6 October 2003 7:13
You have to love the nice creative feedback you get from people. [ + quote]