wessman
January 31st, 2003, 03:40 AM
CinemaNow enters Japan
By Stefanie Olsen, Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 30, 2003, 5:37 PM PT
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-982859.html
Video-on-demand service CinemaNow signed a deal to deliver its online film library to audiences in Japan, staking out its newest territory overseas.
The Marina Del Rey, Calif.-based company inked a licensing agreement Thursday with Japanese multimedia company Media Design Institute to distribute a part of its film catalog to Internet broadband subscribers in Japan.
Under the deal, Media Design Institute will add subtitles to a selection of CinemaNow titles and distribute the films through one of its partners, Japanese Internet service provider NTT-Data. As part of the agreement, NTT-Data will use CinemaNow's technology for delivering movie files over Internet Protocol networks, what's known as video-on-demand.
The films will be for sale to people in Japan with PCs and broadband setups or with Net-connected set-top boxes.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
CinemaNow has been aggressively courting partners overseas to open online movie-rental outfits that can both tap its film library and its video-on-demand technology, PatchBay. In recent months, the company announced a consortium, called the CinemaNow Worldwide Network, of foreign Net broadband providers that it will use as a launching pad to introduce video-on-demand services in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Partners include British Telecom; GOL Philippines; NextGentTel in Norway; Purocine in Latin America; and TV2 Interaktiv in Norway. CinemaNow has already launched video-on-demand services in Singapore and Taiwan in deals with telecommunications companies Chunghwa Telecom and Walker Asia, and it plans to unveil a movie-on-demand service this year in partnership with Freeserve, a top U.K. Internet service provider.
"Joining with NTT-Data and MDI to introduce and drive adoption of Internet video-on-demand in Japan is the best way for us to reach this important and growing base of broadband subscribers," Curt Marvis, CinemaNow CEO, said in a statement.
Related News:
Licensing labyrinth January 13, 2003
http://news.com.com/2009-1023-979754.html
CinemaNow looks to travel abroad December 5, 2002
http://news.com.com/2110-1023-976268.html
CinemaNow nabs Universal Studios deal October 7, 2002
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-961020.html
Get this story's "Big Picture"
http://news.com.com/2104-1023-982859.html
Copyright ©1995-2002 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
By Stefanie Olsen, Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 30, 2003, 5:37 PM PT
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-982859.html
Video-on-demand service CinemaNow signed a deal to deliver its online film library to audiences in Japan, staking out its newest territory overseas.
The Marina Del Rey, Calif.-based company inked a licensing agreement Thursday with Japanese multimedia company Media Design Institute to distribute a part of its film catalog to Internet broadband subscribers in Japan.
Under the deal, Media Design Institute will add subtitles to a selection of CinemaNow titles and distribute the films through one of its partners, Japanese Internet service provider NTT-Data. As part of the agreement, NTT-Data will use CinemaNow's technology for delivering movie files over Internet Protocol networks, what's known as video-on-demand.
The films will be for sale to people in Japan with PCs and broadband setups or with Net-connected set-top boxes.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
CinemaNow has been aggressively courting partners overseas to open online movie-rental outfits that can both tap its film library and its video-on-demand technology, PatchBay. In recent months, the company announced a consortium, called the CinemaNow Worldwide Network, of foreign Net broadband providers that it will use as a launching pad to introduce video-on-demand services in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Partners include British Telecom; GOL Philippines; NextGentTel in Norway; Purocine in Latin America; and TV2 Interaktiv in Norway. CinemaNow has already launched video-on-demand services in Singapore and Taiwan in deals with telecommunications companies Chunghwa Telecom and Walker Asia, and it plans to unveil a movie-on-demand service this year in partnership with Freeserve, a top U.K. Internet service provider.
"Joining with NTT-Data and MDI to introduce and drive adoption of Internet video-on-demand in Japan is the best way for us to reach this important and growing base of broadband subscribers," Curt Marvis, CinemaNow CEO, said in a statement.
Related News:
Licensing labyrinth January 13, 2003
http://news.com.com/2009-1023-979754.html
CinemaNow looks to travel abroad December 5, 2002
http://news.com.com/2110-1023-976268.html
CinemaNow nabs Universal Studios deal October 7, 2002
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-961020.html
Get this story's "Big Picture"
http://news.com.com/2104-1023-982859.html
Copyright ©1995-2002 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.