Whenever people talk about the domanance of Netflix, I always asked this question: “What is preventing content creators from offering the content from the source?” Or more simply put: What is preventing Warner Brothers from streaming or renting their movies from the WB website? Why have Netflix at all in the equation? Sure, I understand the advantage of having someone else build the infustructure, find the right business model, do the hard work and then just copy it – but what is taking so long?
Well, enter Facebook! WarnerBros and Facebook have teamed up to offer Batman: The Dark Knight as VOD, straight from your favorite social media site. So how does this little partnership work? Well, movies are rented with Facebook credits and in this case, Batman costs 30 FB credits or $3, for a 48 hour rental window. Essentially, this is a very similar model to Apple or Amazon and the lot of companies that offer VOD - and while WB state that this is a trial or test project, Facebook might just turn into the biggest video site on the net (500+ million users).
Yet, the question remains: Why not just get it from the source? Let’s just see if Mr. Zuck can take over movies as well. Click here to check out FB’s Batman page and see the full press release after the break.
WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT BECOMES FIRST HOLLYWOOD STUDIO TO OFFER MOVIES DIRECTLY ON FACEBOOK®
MILLIONS OF WARNER BROS. FACEBOOK FANS CAN NOW RENT MOVIES USING FACEBOOK CREDITS AND STREAM WITHIN STUDIO’S MOVIE FAN PAGES
PROGRAM WILL EXPAND TO DIGITAL MOVIE PURCHASES IN THE NEAR FUTURE
BURBANK, CALIF., March 8, 2011 – Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD), a market leader in video-on-demand and electronic sell-through, today announced it will begin testing an offering of selected movies for purchase or rental through Warner Bros. Entertainment’s Facebook movie Pages. Consumers will be able to use Facebook Credits to easily buy or rent a title, all while staying connected to Facebook.
Starting today, millions of fans who “Liked” Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film “The Dark Knight” can rent the title through its official Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/darkknight). Consumers simply click on the “rent” icon to apply their Facebook Credits, and within seconds they will begin enjoying the film. The cost per rental is 30 Facebook Credits or $3. This offering is presently available only to consumers in the United States. Additional titles will be made available for rental and purchase on a regular basis over the coming months.
“Facebook has become a daily destination for hundreds of millions of people,” said Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. “Making our films available through Facebook is a natural extension of our digital distribution efforts. It gives consumers a simple, convenient way to access and enjoy our films through the world’s largest social network.”
Fans will have full control over the film while watching it through their Facebook account for up to 48 hours from purchase. They can choose to watch it in full screen, pause the movie, and resume playing it when they log back into Facebook. Consumers will also have full Facebook functionality including the ability to post comments on the movie, interact with friends and update their status.
Source: PCWorld.com
