CinemaNow has signed a licensing agreement with ACTG
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Disney Signs Video-On-Demand Distribution Agreement with CinemaNow
Monday September 15, 8:00 am ET
Disney Makes New Releases and Library Films Available on the Internet via CinemaNow
MARINA DEL REY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 2003--Buena Vista Pay Television, Inc., a division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - News) and CinemaNow, Inc., a leader in Internet video-on-demand distribution and technology, today announced they have entered into an agreement to offer new and classic films from the Disney library for download via the CinemaNow Website, www.cinemanow.com.
"The advent of digital technology has provided new ways for us to offer our consumers faster and more direct access to the movies they want to watch," said Dan Cohen, senior vice president and general manager, Buena Vista Pay Television. "The Walt Disney Company is committed to using new technologies, such as Internet video-on-demand, to provide our audience with a more convenient and satisfying viewing experience. In creating a distribution relationship in this endeavor, CinemaNow was a clear choice."
As part of the agreement, CinemaNow will offer titles from The Walt Disney Company and its affiliated companies including Walt Disney Pictures, Miramax Films, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, and Dimension Films. New release titles are made available the same day they become available via traditional pay-per-view outlets, while previously released films are also available from the extensive Disney library. Some of the first-run titles to be offered on CinemaNow include Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" starring Leonardo DiCarprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz, "Shanghai Knights" starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and coming October 3rd, "Chicago" starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere. All Disney titles will be available in Microsoft's Windows Media 9 Series format.
"The Internet is now starting to realize its potential as a legitimate, revenue-generating distribution platform for entertainment and media content," said Bruce Eisen, executive vice president, CinemaNow. "Internet video-on-demand is poised for explosive growth in the coming years. This agreement confirms not only CinemaNow's position as a leader in this emerging space, but also Disney's commitment to taking full advantage of this new distribution platform. We are thrilled to offer our growing customer base the high-caliber films that Disney is recognized for and look forward to continuing this relationship."
CinemaNow
CinemaNow, Inc., (www.cinemanow.com) is the global leader in Internet-based video-on-demand (VOD) and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) distribution and technology. Through its growing list of content partners including 20th Century Fox, MGM and Warner Bros., the CinemaNow Website has become the premier destination for the authorized downloading and streaming of feature films on the Internet. CinemaNow has also developed PatchBay, a proprietary video-on-demand content distribution and management system that runs the CinemaNow Website, and is available as a licensable technology solution. CinemaNow is majority owned by Lions Gate Entertainment (AMEX:LGF - News). |
