Andre Yoskowitz
22 Jun 2010 11:52
Giant retailer Sears has announced it has partnered up with digital media company Sonic to sell movies and TV shows online, through the company's RoxioNow platform.
Sonic, over the course of the year, has made similar deals with Blockbuster and Best Buy.
Sears will launch the online portal site later in the year, giving HDTV, Blu-ray player and smartphone users the chance to download the movies and shows for playback through their respective devices.
Adds Mark Ely, executive vice president of strategy for Sonic: "This is an opportunity for Sears to get their consumers up and running with digital content, and offset what is happening as consumers move from physical media to digital delivery."
The move can be seen as a way for Sears, the owner of K-Mart, to counter Wal-Mart's recent purchase of HQ video streaming service Vudu.
"Teaming up with Sonic is a great opportunity for Sears and Kmart to quickly establish a position in digital video entertainment,"notes Karen Austin, president of home electronics for Sears Holdings.