Sony to launch new VOD service on PlayStation
Sony is set to launch a new video-on-demand service on its PlayStation network in a bid to compete with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 service.
The PlayStation Network Video Store will enable users in the UK, France, Germany and Spain to rent or buy films such as Star Trek, Bruno and The Dark Knight from November onwards.
Sony, which will launch the service on the PlayStation3 and PlayStation Portable, has agreed deals with film studios including Warner Bros, MGM, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox.
Users will be able to watch a rented film up to 14 days after it has been downloaded and will have the option to transfer films onto Sony’s PSP handheld device.
Sony’s new film service mirrors Microsoft’s Xbox Live platform, which also has agreements in place with the major film studios.
Andrew House, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president and CEO, said, “The PlayStation is becoming the home of entertainment, from games to music channels, from creative platforms to virtual pets.”
Both Sony and Microsoft have added new features including music and films to the games consoles to re-position the platforms as multimedia devices.
The PS3 has sold 23.8 million units worldwide since launching in 2006, compared to the Microsoft Xbox 360’s 30.2 million, which launched a year earlier.