Tiscali in the UK has launched a film download service using the Arts Alliance Media content delivery network. Arts Alliance has already contracted with a number of studios and looks after secure delivery and aggregation for sites like LoveFiLM’s online film service.
Arts Alliance currently carries content from Universal, Sony, Warner Brothers, Momentum, Icon, Tartan, Artificial Eye and Discovery Networks, and has partnered with LoveFiLM, AOL UK and Emap sites.
The Tiscali site offers 500 films now, in two resolutions at slightly differing rental prices which start at 99 pence ($2.00) with feature films typically costing £2.99 to rent at high quality ($6.00) or £3.49 ($7.00) at what it calls super high quality. There are also download to own and burn options.
The system has its own download manager that has to be downloaded before any content can be viewed, rather like a video iTunes.
The online ‘Movies Now’ library includes classics such as The Bourne Identity, 8 Mile, Bridget Jones and United 93 as well as recent releases, Children of Men, Jarhead and Smokin’ Aces. The library also contains classic sports events such as The British Open Golf and natural history programs from National Geographic.
Like many services, rentals have a seven-day window for viewing once the download is completed (Movielink has a 30 day window) and once playback is started, the viewer can watch the film as many times as they like, within a 24 or 48 hour playback window.
Tiscali has been trying to put its own service together now for some time, but has given up in favor of taking the Arts Alliance aggregated service.
Tiscali bought UK IPTV operator Homechoice last August, but IPTV rights and online rights are clearly very different and there appears to be no attempt to take the IPTV service and point the content at PC downloads.
Our view is that these prices are around twice what they need to be, and that this won’t trigger much in the way of business, which is the perennial problem for almost all of these online film services.