Google is partnering with Paramount Pictures to add Paramount movie rentals to YouTube and Google Play. A Googler laid out the following highlights in an email to WebProNews:
- Nearly 500 titles available for rent including new blockbusters like Captain America, Hugo, and The Adventures of Tin Tin together with classics like Coming to America and the Godfather
- These Paramount Titles will be available to users in the US and Canada on Google Play and YouTube (www.youtube.com/movies)
- In 2011 we focused on signing deals with the indie and major studios and scaling our rental service globally:
– We now have movies from 5 of the 6 major studios (Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Brothers) and over ten indie studios: Lionsgate Films, Magnolia, Starz, Weinstein, etc.)
– In the last 10 months we’ve launched rentals in Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and (last week) France
- Rentals will be priced at $3.99 for new releases; most older movies are $2.99. Almost all titles will be available for 48 hours once you begin watching. New releases HD version will be $4.99. Older releases HD version will be $3.99.
Malik Ducard, Director of Content Partnerships for YouTube, says, “Paramount Pictures is one of the biggest movies studios on the planet. We’re thrilled to bring nearly 500 of their films to movie fans in the US and Canada on YouTube and Google Play.”
This is a huge deal for Google as it tries to make a bigger impact on the movie rental scene. The competition in this space is getting more interesting by the day. Content selection is obviously one of the main factors that consumers take into consideration, and original content is ultimately going to be the determining factor for many, when it comes to using a service like YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. That’s why they’re all going the original content route. There just may be room for all to co-exist into the future. Don’t forget, Redbox has a streaming offering in the works.
Image from “Coming To America”