Lucerne libraries enter the streaming business
The Central and University Library of Lucerne (ZHB) and the Library Association of the Lucerne Region (BVL) now offer their users access to the German streaming platform Filmfriend. Around 2000 films and series can be freely consumed there.
The offer is positioned outside the mainstream, the two institutions announced on Tuesday. There are no current blockbusters. They include German classics, sophisticated documentaries, international art house cinema, TV and cinema documentaries and children's series.
The ZHB Lucerne said that this was a response to the development in the viewing behavior of library customers. A replacement of the common DVD is becoming apparent.
The films are available around the clock on the platform and can be watched on a laptop or screen directly or offline via an app. Users log in with their ID number and password.
ZHB and BVL jointly negotiated a license agreement with the provider. The payment is not per click, but is regulated by a flat-rate license for one year. The libraries did not disclose the amount.
The streaming service Filmfriend was developed in 2017 by the Potsdam-based company Filmwerte specifically for libraries. In Switzerland, libraries in Thun, Basel-Landschaft, Biel and Thurgau are already participating. Filmfriend is ad-free and does not collect any personal data.
The BVL includes the Lucerne City Library and the libraries in Adligenswil, Emmen, Horw, Kriens, Meggen, Ruopigen and Vitznau. The number of users in 2018 was around 22,000, compared with just under 16,000 at the ZHB in the same year. (SDA)
