How’s this for strange bed fellows… Online movie distributor CinemaNow has added both pornography and Disney film downloads to their library this month.
CinemaNow has always offered more obscure independent and foreign flicks compared to Movielink
Scoring Disney is unexpected and could be a major coup for CinemaNow. Apparently their ability to transfer flicks to Windows Portable Media Players ahead of Movielink was a major factor in the deal. I can’t image the relationship is exclusive (no, I’m not talking about those porn plots), so it’s highly likely Disney will offer their movies to other download services in the future. Remember, Steve Jobs is on the Disney board and has had success selling Disney’s ABC television shows via iTunes…
Forbes says: Beginning today, CinemaNow users will be able to choose from 30 Disney titles, including National Treasure, The Pirates of the Caribbean and Chicken Little; the studio will also begin selling online downloads “day and date” with their DVD releases, beginning with the June 6 release of Glory Road. CinemaNow President Bruce Eisen said his company had been in talks with Disney for months, but “it just took a while to turn the ship around.”
Washington Post says: Hollywood has been tiptoeing its way toward letting consumers buy a movie online, burn it onto a DVD and watch it on a living-room TV. While the studios hesitate, the adult film industry is taking the leap. Vivid Entertainment says it will sell its adult films through the online movie service CinemaNow, allowing buyers to burn DVDs that will play on any screen, not just a computer.