CinemaNow, Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with Warner Home Video to deliver selected Warner Bros. films via the CinemaNow Website at www.cinemanow.com. This is the first major studio deal made by CinemaNow, an online video service that has previously offered films from independent companies. The service is majority owned by independent production company Lions Gate Entertainment and counts Microsoft Corp. and the video chain Blockbuster among its minority shareholders. The Warner library will be made available on the Internet in a secure, protected download format. First-run pay-per-view titles such as HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE will be priced at $3.99 for a 24-hour access period, while older titles from the Warner Home Video library, ranging from the Alfred Hitchcock classic DIAL M FOR MURDER to Tim Burton's MARS ATTACKS, will be offered for $2.99 for the same viewing time. "Making major studio content available to download in a secure and legal manner marks a tremendous leap forward for online distribution," said Bruce Eisen, executive vice president of CinemaNow. "We are excited to add the quality films of Warner Bros. Pictures to our growing list of content providers. This is an important step to begin assessing both the demand and revenue platforms from this emerging business." Companies like CinemaNow are trying to provide a solution to the tide of bootleg videos making their way across the Internet.
