News and Reviews....

    FOX Offers Content to File-Sharer  July 2006

 By Robert Lieto

    20th Century Fox Entertainment Group announced for the first time it will distribute select TV and movie rental content through a peer-to-peer (P2P) service, Peer Impact. The features will not be offered the same day as the DVD release, but at a later date. Just as Warner Bros. Entertainment group has inked deals with file sharing services Guba.com and BitTorrent Inc., that do offer features on the same day as the DVD are available as downloads to own, not to rent as in Peer Impact deal. NBC Universal which last November became the first major studio to make a deal with Peer Impact, and Warner also offer content through the service.

    TV episodes cost as little as 99 cents per 24-hour viewing period for shows that include "The Loop", "Firefly", "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Babylon 5". Movie rentals range from $2.99 to $3.99.

    Unlike other file-sharing services where content is freely disseminated on the network among users, Peer Impact centrally controls its content and users get rebates of upwards of 5% for sharing. Anybody on the network who has a file copy of a TV episode or movie being accessed shares in the rebate.

Comment .....  File sharing and downloading of TV and movies are becoming more and more. We do not see them going away, only getting more prolific, with more titles available. Our clients have been offered the convenience of having Computers built into their A/V system for many years. Being able to access the internet and download a program for viewing on your system was an exotic source in the past that now becomes a integral necessity for entertainment of family and friends. Did I mention the time and cost of a trip to the local rental store?

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Past articles on the subject:

MovieBeam Has Arrived    Feb 2006

MovieLink 2.0 VOD    Sept. 2003