Indie film to be exclusively streamed via games console for the first time

Microsoft has announced that it will be streaming a film via its X-Box games platform – competely bypassing a cinema or DVD release.

The independent British comedy film Pulp will be available for Xbox 360 Live subscribers only, and Microsoft has said that it plans to stream more films via this platform in the future.

This move comes in an attempt to help indie film businesses work their way into the UK market.

Film maker Andy Hamdy has talked about the struggle of middle and lower budget tier indie film businesses in the UK market, blaming the extensive marketing cost for films.

“Theatrical distribution, nowadays, costs on average about £2 million per movie for marketing, prints and advertising. For a film like Pulp, that doesn’t have bankable stars with a track record, it’s a challenge for any distributor to take that gamble.”

Pav Bhardwaj, Xbox Live product manager said: “It’s a great fit. The film is really well aligned with our audience. All our audience like that sort and types of film and it’s great to support British talent.”

The film will be available to stream as of today.