With strong subscriber base, the popular social networking site Facebook has teamed with media giant Warner Brothers to offer movies on the web.Customers can rent the films for 30 Facebook credits, about USD 3. The movies will be available for 48 hours. Millions of its subscribers can pause or restart a movie if they leave the site and log back in.
Warner Bros has started the trial with the smash hit 2008 Batman movie, The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger. The movie is available for rent from the movie's Facebook fan page using its virtual currency.
The Facebook service will initially be available only in the United States. Overseas Facebook fans would provide a serious revenue stream for this project.
Facebook's cut of income generated from the streamed films is said to be 30 per cent.
"Making our films available through Facebook is a natural extension of our digital distribution efforts," said Thomas Gewecke, president of digital distribution at Warner Bros.
"It gives consumers a simple, convenient way to access and enjoy our films through the world's largest social network," Gewecke said.
Warner Bros' decision to partner with Facebook comes at a time when DVD sales are plunging. The media-tracking firm HIS Screen Digest says that US sales of DVDs checked in at USD 7.8 billion, down 43 per cent from its high in 2006. Sales went down 20 per cent from 2009 to 2010.
As people move away from purchasing or renting DVDs, viewing movies streamed online is becoming increasingly popular. Netflix said earlier this year it had 20 million subscribers, a 63 per cent hike from a year ago. Some six per cent of the country's population are Netflix subscribers, a lot of them signed up for its lucrative streaming operation.
"Netflix members are already watching more TV episodes and movies streamed instantly over the Internet than on DVDs... And we expect that trend to continue," a Netflix executive has said.
Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us
No comments:
Post a Comment