BlockBuster Bringing Movies To Motorola Phones

BlockBuster said Tuesday it will bring its streaming movie service to Motorola cell phones and smartphones.

The deal is the first time BlockBuster is bringing its onDemand service to mobile devices, and it will eventually enable Motorola users to have on-the-go access to thousands of movie titles. The companies did not announce when this service would be implemented, or how much it will cost.

The mobile video space is already filled with competitors such as YouTube, iTunes, AT&T's Cellular Video, Flo TV, and Verizon Wireless' V Cast, but it still hasn't drawn a large audience. However, the market is expected to see rapid growth over the next few years as networks and handsets get better, and as the business models are refined.

"Mobile video entertainment is exploding, as consumers are demanding the widest selection of content: the movies they love in their living room and on their PC, now also available on their mobile phone, while on the go," said Christy Wyatt, VP of software platforms at Motorola, in a statement.

The move is just the latest by BlockBuster to get expand its services beyond its retail locations in order to combat rivals such as Netflix, Roku, TiVo, and on-demand video services from cable providers. The company recently inked a deal with Samsung to bring its instant-movie service to high-definition TVs, home theater system, and Blu-ray players.

Motorola's handset division has been in a downward spiral over the last few years, as it has been unable to find another phone that capture audiences like the Razr.

Under CEO Sanjay Jha, the mobile division is making a big push with the Google-backed Android operating system to build feature-rich smartphones that can be sold at feature phone prices. The BlockBuster deal will help Motorola's upcoming devices stack up against Apple's iPhone, which is widely considered the smartphone with the best multimedia capabilities.

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