Cinema fun coming soon from the Internet

Various offers from the film industry and individual TV channels are about to be launched. As the NZZ am Sonntag reports, In2Movies, the online service from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and Bertelsmann subsidiary Arvato, was announced in January. The service is due to launch in April, but the prices for movies and series are not yet known. Disney, on the other hand, is relying on the Moviebeam service, which requires a set-top subscription. Disney wants to interrupt the films with advertising and offer some of them in HDTV quality. It is still unclear whether the service will also be offered in Europe. Maxdome, a download service from the TV channels Pro7, Sat1, N24 and 1&1, is also due to launch in May. Films will cost from EUR 1, while entire theme packages with up to 400 hours of TV programs will be available from EUR 10. In addition, various broadcasters already offer programs and documentaries for download for a fee via video-on-demand (VoD). Spiegel TV, Arte or Arcor are mentioned with prices ranging from 1.50 to 4 euros per documentary or program. As the New York Times recently reported, Amazon is also planning to enter the movie download business. Unlike its competitors, it will also be possible to burn the films onto DVD. Swiss television also relies on VoD, although the service is currently free of charge. SF sees VoD primarily as an additional channel to increase its reach.