PlayNow mobile service becoming entertainment hub
MOBILE: Users able to watch up to 60 movies a year on phone
By Jennifer Netherby -- Video Business, 6/3/2009
JUNE 3 | MOBILE: Sony Ericsson is quickly evolving its mobile PlayNow content service into an entertainment hub with the launch of a movie subscription service and a deal to sell thousands of other apps.
Last week, the company announced a mobile movie subscription service for PlayNow, allowing users to watch up to 60 movies a year on their phone. About 15 films will be available at a time for users to choose from, with new titles added monthly. Sony Ericsson hasn’t yet said which studios will offer films, or which films they will make available.
A one-year subscription to the PlayNow movie service will be included with select phones sold initially in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and the U.K., but will be rolled out to additional countries.
To watch movies on their phones, users will first have to download the movie to their computer and then transfer it to a handset, where they can watch it an unlimited number of times for 90 days. Films are only viewable on Sony Ericsson mobile phones.
Meanwhile, the company said today it has inked a deal to offer premium apps on PlayNow through GetJar, a Lithuanian company that sells 45,000 apps. Sony Ericsson said it will continue to offer free and premium apps through its Fun & Downloads section, where it sold more than 150 million music, ring tones, games, themes, wallpapers and movies in 2008.
More and more mobile companies are adding video and apps. Apple is rumored to have plans to add iTunes video and TV downloads directly to the iPhone on the updated operating system.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Sorenson Media licensed its mobile video codec Sorenson Spark to Ittiam and NXP Semiconductors. Sorenson Spark powers video functionality on mobile phones and other devices, allowing for playback of video from YouTube and other video streaming sites. Sorenson already had licensing deals with Qualcomm, Verizon, Sony, YouTube and others.
