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Disney+ confirms subscribers will get 'Mulan' on December 4th
If you don't want to pay $30 extra, then you can still see 'Mulan' on Disney+ starting December 4th.
Disney has no idea what it's doing with 'Mulan'
Disney is clearing making up its Mulan Disney+ release as it goes along.
Universal's deal with AMC shortens theatrical exclusivity to 17 days
The new deal covers Universal films, as well as features from its specialty label, Focus Features.
Plex adds Crackle movies and TV shows to its free streaming service
That’s still the main draw, though the company has also been experimenting with a free, ad-supported streaming service that doesn’t require you to download or rip a single file.
As cinephiles shelter, studios are catching on to virtual movie nights
Compared to a Twitter Watch Party, a Netflix Party is a more intimate affair.
Comcast, Verizon make some on-demand viewing free
Comcast and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) have been scrambling to help people stay online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now they're giving customer more to do with that access. On Comcast, subscribers with Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex now have preview access to on-demand videos from several premium TV networks and streaming services for at least 30 days. Epix and Showtime are the highlights if you're looking for pure entertainment, but there's also CuriosityStream (for 60 days), History Vault, Kids Room, The Great Courses Signature Collection and The Reading Corner to keep your family educated, while DOGTV and Grokker respectively provide pet programming and exercise.
Universal is releasing movies in theaters and at home on the same day
Movie studios have spent years considering releasing their films for home viewing at the same time they're in theaters, but have usually withdrawn those plans based on complaints by the theater chains. Now, with people staying home and theaters closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, Universal Pictures will be the first to try the scheme by offering movies that are currently in theaters for home rental at a price of $19.99 for a 48-hour viewing window. The first movies offered will start popping up on Friday, with The Hunt, Invisible Man and Emma available internationally via "a wide variety of the most popular on-demand services." It appears the Vudu is on the list, and we'd assume that other big names like iTunes and Amazon Video will also participates. The first movie to premiere under the new setup will be Trolls World Tour on April 20th.
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' is available on digital a few days early
It looks like Frozen 2 isn't the only Disney property getting an early launch due to the current conditions of everything. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now available on most digital stores, including Vudu, iTunes and Google Play. (Update: Amazon too!) Right now, several days before its March 17th launch date for $20 in 1080p or $25 in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision HDR where available. It's not available to rent, but you can buy it in up to 4K resolution, or opt for the $100 Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga 9-Movie Collection. Is it worth it? Despite a 51 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics it did manage an 86 percent audience score, so there's a chance you'll be thoroughly entertained with how this third trilogy comes to an end. If not, at least you're at home and you can easily flip over to something else, or just update some of your lists on Vudu.
Walmart reportedly ditches planned streaming service to focus on Vudu
Walmart has abandoned its plans to launch a new streaming video service, according to a report from CNBC. Instead of throwing resources behind a new product, the company will instead focus its attention on expanding its existing video platform Vudu. In response to the report, Walmart told Variety that Vudu is its focus but "to say that we aren't thinking about different ideas often would be false."
Hulu considers a skinnier live TV bundle
A year and a half after getting into the live TV game, Hulu may make some changes to its live offerings. In a new "skinnier" package, Hulu could offer less live channels but more shows on-demand. Hulu CEO Randy Freer told The Information that reshuffling the programming mix could help improve the company's bottom line.
Netflix comes to Sky Q boxes in November
Earlier this year, Sky announced that it would allow its customers to access Netflix through its set-top boxes. Now the company has revealed that the streaming giant will hit Sky Q boxes in November, and how exactly the whole thing will work.
A screenwriter is working on a list of every hit film you can’t stream
We've all had moments trying to hunt down films that just don't seem to be anywhere online, whether on streaming services, for rent or to purchase. Screenwriter John August (Charlie's Angels, Big Fish, the upcoming live-action Aladdin) noticed that Ron Howard's light sci-fi film Cocoon wasn't available online, he started a list collecting other popular films from the last 30-odd years that are completely absent from the internet for reasons unknown -- and he's asking fellow cinephiles to help fill it out.
Epix is the first US network to stream 4K content within its apps
If you're about eye-watering clarity when it comes to home entertainment, get yourself an Epix subscription. The network has announced that from today it'll be offering Ultra HD content on its platform -- the first such offering from any premium network in the US. The service launches with a select number of movies and original programs, including a raft of old-school James Bond films and newer additions such as Arrival, Star Trek Beyond, Transformers: The Last Knight and the Epix original series Get Shorty.
Nielsen is tracking streaming services like it does broadcast TV
To address the new normal of cord cutting, Nielsen is going to start tracking subscription-based streaming numbers in a big way. The idea is to measure streaming services in the same way that the outfit has tracked broadcast TV for decades: with demographic info and the number of people streaming a program. As TechCrunch notes, Nielsen is only tracking Netflix for now, but expects to start getting data from Amazon and Hulu streaming services by next year.
Disney ‘Movies Anywhere’ adds flicks from Fox, Warner, Sony and Universal
Frustrated with the current state of DVD/Blu-ray digital copies and buying movies from online stores like Vudu or iTunes? A new connection between studios and stores may be the best fix we'll get, now that Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros (but not Paramount and Lionsgate, so far) have linked their libraries to Disney's Movies Anywhere setup. Confirming rumors from earlier this week, the Keychest-powered system that Disney has used for its own movies since 2014 will now unlock movies from all of those studios, covering over 7,300 titles. If you haven't used Movies Anywhere with a Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Lucasfilm flick, it's very similar to the Ultraviolet system the other studios have focused on until now. Once you create an account you can watch movies through its app and website, or through stores that participate with it, which include iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu and Google Play. Linking the accounts is relatively painless, and for a limited time, viewers can unlock access to five free movies (Big Hero 6, Ghostbusters (2016), Ice Age Jason Bourne (2016), The Lego Movie) by doing so.
BBC is putting hundreds of classic TV programmes on iPlayer
Over the years, the BBC has amassed an impressive trove of classic TV and radio programming. Accessing it all can be tricky, however, because iPlayer has always been positioned as more of a catchup service. Some series are available permanently, but most, especially older shows, are not. You normally have to buy them digitally, on DVD or Blu-ray, or hope they're accessible somewhere on the BBC website. Not anymore. The BBC is launching a section on iPlayer called 'From the Archive,' which, as the name implies, will be a home for BBC classics. Roughly 450 programmes are available at launch, with more being added "in the coming years."
Apple mulls pricey early movie rentals right after theater debut
Apple and Comcast are the latest names in the seemingly never-ending struggle to bring movies home faster. Bloomberg reports that the tech behemoth and telco, independently, are in talks with movie studios to offer $50 rentals roughly 17 days after their theatrical debut. Waiting four to six weeks would save you money, as the price would drop to $30 according to Bloomberg's sources. This the same structure we'd heard earlier this year when Warner Bros. and Fox stepped into the fray. The deals could be finalized by early next year, apparently.
Hollywood again considers $30 early movie rentals
Slowly, movie studios are putting the pieces in place for reducing the time between a film's theatrical run and when you can watch it at home. The latest step toward this is news that Warner Bros. would be cool with people watching its movies as soon as 17 days after theatrical debut, according to Variety. That privilege would come with a $50 price tag -- the same price Napster founder Sean Parker proposed over a year ago for his Screening Room service.
Fox's impulse-buy Movie of the Day app comes to Apple TV
Fox is always open to new ideas on how to goose digital movie sales, and one of its recent developments has been the "Movie of the Day" app on iOS. Starting tomorrow, it will also be available on Apple TV, which should provide a fitting home for its rotating selection of content. Via the app, prices are usually deeply discounted from their usual purchase prices, to somewhere between $5 - $10 per movie. To go with the new launch, Fox has revealed the lineup over the next few days, which will include Kingsman: Secret Service, Deadpool and a few others.
Vimeo is working on a subscription streaming service
Vimeo plans to start a new Netflix-type streaming service and develop its own content, but its won't spend Netflix dollars. Rather, the site (owned by Barry Diller's IAC) will help its creator community develop original content and supplement it with licensed programming. "Vimeo has the once-in-a-generation opportunity to, following in Netflix's footsteps, deliver compelling subscription viewing experiences for consumers in the market for pay TV," CEO Joey Levin said in a shareholder letter
