Sony and Disney win approval for UK video on demand

LONDON – Sony and Walt Disney are to launch films on-demand to millions of NTL and Telewest cable subscribers after winning approval from the competition regulators.

MovieCo, the alliance between Sony's Columbia Pictures and Walt Disney Studios, will offer video-on-demand, allowing cable customers to choose from a wide selection of films to watch whenever they want, as opposed to BSkyB's pre-determined times for its films.

The European Commission ruled that MovieCo would not cause competition issues, saying that: "It would give the UK cable network operations an alternative to procure video content other than BSkyB, which is currently the dominant player in the market."

The new service is likely to compete with video rental companies such as US giant Blockbuster, as well as digital and postal video and DVD delivery services.

Telewest, the UK's second largest cable operator announced it is to invest up to £45m on launching the new video-on-demand service next year, alongside its slate of interactive services.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .

Topics

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s new Market Reports.

Find out more

Enjoying ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s content?

 Get unlimited access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s premium content for your whole company with a corporate licence.

Upgrade access

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an alert now

Partner content