Movielink
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video on demand |
| Founded | November 11, 2002 |
| Defunct | December 16, 2008 |
| Fate | Acquired by Blockbuster; subsequently shut down |
| Successor | Blockbuster LLC |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Video on demand, electronic sell-through |
| Owner | Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. Entertainment (founding investors) |
| Parent | Blockbuster LLC (from 2007) |
Movielink operated as an internet-based video on demand (VOD) and electronic sell-through (EST) platform, providing users with access to films, TV programs, and various video content available for rental or purchase. The service sourced its media from a broad range of studios, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Network Television, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Buena Vista Pictures (featuring Miramax), Twentieth Century Fox, Twentieth Television, and Koch Entertainment, among others, under non-exclusive agreements. Although Movielink’s availability was restricted to the United States, it was pioneering as the first entity worldwide to offer legally downloadable films from major Hollywood studios.
Typically, movies purchased via Movielink were viewable only on the computer used for acquisition or on a television connected to that computer. Nevertheless, certain consumer electronics devices, such as the Xbox 360 console, facilitated easier playback of these digital files on standard TV screens.[1] Additionally, Movielink established partnerships with select set-top box manufacturers to enable direct downloads of films to televisions, including integration with AT&T’s Homezone service.[2] The company also explored alternative business approaches, like enabling customers to buy, download, and burn DVDs of chosen titles.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content
History
Movielink commenced operations on November 11, 2002. To safeguard its content, the platform employed digital rights management (DRM) technologies provided by Microsoft and RealNetworks. As a result, compatibility was confined to Intel-based PCs running Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, or Vista with Windows Media Player version 9 or newer.[3] The service featured weekday promotions offering select titles for less than 99 cents and weekly discounts on certain films at half price.
On June 1, 2006, reports surfaced that the founding investors—comprising Paramount, Sony, MGM, Universal, and Warner Bros—were seeking to divest from Movielink.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content This announcement followed several studios revealing plans to collaborate with various potential competitors such as Amazon.com, Apple Computer, BitTorrent Inc., Jaman, and the Microsoft Xbox platform.
Subsequently, on August 8, 2007, Blockbuster acquired Movielink for $6.6 million as disclosed in their 8-K filing. This acquisition included content licensing agreements that granted Blockbuster access to one of the most extensive collections of downloadable movies available at that time. With this purchase, Blockbuster expanded its capabilities across physical store rentals, DVD-by-mail services, and online movie distribution.[4]
Ultimately, Movielink ceased operations on December 16, 2008. The website redirected visitors to the main Blockbuster homepage. Customers received advance notification allowing them until December 15, 2008 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time to download any previously rented or purchased content before the shutdown deadline.
References
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