Movielink, SBC Yahoo Link for Trial Service
Mon Nov 24,10:22 PM ET Add Technology - Internet Report to My Yahoo!
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Reuters) - Online movie download service Movielink on Monday said it will start offering a custom version of its service on a trial basis to SBC Yahoo broadband subscribers.
The deal marks another effort by Movielink to expand its reach into more consumer homes. Movielink, a venture among five of Hollywood's major movie studios, offers digital files of movies that can be downloaded directly onto computer.
SBC Yahoo, a venture between SBC Communications Inc. and Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) provides Internet access to more than 3.1 million digital subscribers.
During the promotional trial, SBC Yahoo broadband members can go to sbc.movielink.com to browse, rent, and download movies from the co-branded site.
In recent months, Movielink has boosted its promotional efforts and struck similar deals with other Internet access providers to reach more potential users. In October, it launched a co-branded site with Internet portal Lycos.
Movielink was launched last year to provide a legal, paid alternative to movie swap sites utilizing peer-to-peer networks where users can download illegally copied films for free.
Films downloaded from Movielink currently range between $1.99 and $4.99 for a 24-hour viewing period and can be stored on a computer hard drive for up to 30 days.
Movielink is a venture of Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. . Warner Bros. is a division of Time Warner Inc . Paramount is part of Viacom Inc . Universal is a unit of Vivendi Universal, and Sony Pictures is a wing of Sony Corp (news - web sites) .
