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DirecTV Moving Ahead With Early VOD Movie Release Plan–Despite Resistance From Theater Owners

Mar 3, 2011  •  Post A Comment

In a plan that’s drawing fire from the country’s biggest theater chains, DirecTV is in late-stage talks to become the first distributor to debut early video-on-demand, reports the Los Angeles Times’ Company Town blog.

The satellite TV company would be the first distributor to debut premium VOD, which would allow consumers to pay $30 per month to rent a movie over the Web or cable just 60 days after it opened in theaters, the story says. That means titles would be available a month before they are released on DVD.

DirecTV plans to introduce the service by the end of June with films from 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros., while Walt Disney Pictures is also in talks to join the service, the story notes. Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures aren’t initially participating.

The plan has strained the relationship between studios and theater owners, who are upset that they haven’t been included in the talks and have become more vocal about maintaining a window of 90 days or more before films are released in the home market, the story notes.

One Comment

  1. I don’t think this is enough to draw people towards DirecTV. With how much more a month you spend there then you do with DISH Network plus 30$ a month and still have to rent the movie, after all that you might as well just go to the theater. Working for DISH Network I know that they have the lowest every day price in the industry and beat all satellite and cable providers out in customer satisfaction. It’s worth checking out.

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