Facebook Now Home To Even More Movie Rentals: Is This The Future?
Is Facebook really a place people will go to check out feature-length movies? Only time will tell, but clearly the initial test has gone well, otherwise we highly doubt Warner Bros. would continue to pursue it. And pursue it they are. The company has just revealed that they will start to offer five new movies for rent directly on the social networking site, and these are just dusty, old movies, these are hits.
Inception, Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets, Life as we know It, and Yogi Bear are all making the cut, all of which are exceptionally popular. The films are available to rent as of now, and in order to rent a film, consumers simply click on the "watch now" icon to apply their Facebook Credits, and within seconds they will begin enjoying the film. This offering is presently available only to consumers in the United States, but who knows -- if things continue to perform well, maybe it'll expand internationally.
We aren't given any sales figures just yet, so one of two things could be happening: things went so well during the initial trial that the company had no choice but to offer other hits, or things performed so poorly that they're giving it one more try with AAA titles. Or hey, maybe it's somewhere in between. Either way, more and more films are popping up on Facebook, and the only real question that remains is this: is that a place you'll frequently attend for movie watching?
Inception, Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets, Life as we know It, and Yogi Bear are all making the cut, all of which are exceptionally popular. The films are available to rent as of now, and in order to rent a film, consumers simply click on the "watch now" icon to apply their Facebook Credits, and within seconds they will begin enjoying the film. This offering is presently available only to consumers in the United States, but who knows -- if things continue to perform well, maybe it'll expand internationally.
We aren't given any sales figures just yet, so one of two things could be happening: things went so well during the initial trial that the company had no choice but to offer other hits, or things performed so poorly that they're giving it one more try with AAA titles. Or hey, maybe it's somewhere in between. Either way, more and more films are popping up on Facebook, and the only real question that remains is this: is that a place you'll frequently attend for movie watching?
WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT OFFERS FIVE ADDITIONAL MOVIES FOR RENT DIRECTLY ON FACEBOOK®
STUDIO EXPANDING TEST TO INCLUDE "HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE,"
"HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS," "INCEPTION," "LIFE AS WE KNOW IT" AND "YOGI BEAR"
MILLIONS OF WARNER BROS. FACEBOOK FANS CAN NOW RENT MOVIES USING FACEBOOK CREDITS AND STREAM WITHIN STUDIO'S MOVIE FAN PAGES
BURBANK, CALIF., March 27, 2011 – Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD), a market leader in video-on-demand and electronic sell-through, announced it will expand its test offering of movies for rental through Warner Bros. Entertainment's Facebook Movie Pages. Starting today at 10:00 pm Pacific Time / 1:00 am Eastern Time, consumers will be able to rent five additional titles directly through each film's official Facebook Page using Facebook Credits. The films include "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "Inception," "Life as We Know It" and "Yogi Bear."
To rent a film, consumers simply click on the "watch now" icon to apply their Facebook Credits, and within seconds they will begin enjoying the film. This offering is presently available only to consumers in the United States.
"We're pleased to expand our test with a variety of titles that will appeal to a broad audience," said Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. "These titles have substantial followings on Facebook. The Fan Pages for 'Harry Potter' and 'Inception' alone are two of the most popular and active communities on the site."
Fans will have full control over the film while watching it through their Facebook account for up to 48 hours from purchase. They can choose to watch it in full screen, pause the movie, and resume playing it when they log back into Facebook. Consumers will also have full Facebook functionality including the ability to post comments on the movie, interact with friends and update their status.
