CinemaNow Adds Fox Movies, TV Shows

CinemaNow, which sells Hollywood films on a download-to-own basis, said Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to offer movies and TV shows from Fox Entertainment Group.

The licensing deal expands CinemaNow's library by adding such Twentieth Century Fox movies as "The Ringer" and "Cheaper By The Dozen 2." TV shows, which are expected to be available at the beginning of July, include the first season of "24," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," and "Lost In Space." Movies will sell for prices ranging from $10 to $20, while TV shows will cost $1.99 per episode.

Content downloaded to own from CinemaNow can be played an unlimited number of times on as many as three devices that use Microsoft's Windows Media player. The software uses Microsoft's digital rights management technology for copyright protection.

As an increasing number of people sign up for broadband services, a market is expected to develop for download-to-own movies. That market, however, isn't expected to take off until people can easily play the films they grab from the Internet on a TV. Less than 2 percent of TV watchers have embraced digital media adapters that would link the PC to a television set, according to The Diffusion Group. As a result, a gap remains between broadband services and the living room.

Nevertheless, Hollywood, which has closely watched the music industry's transition to the Web, is cautiously embracing the Internet as a distribution channel, particularly as copyright protection technology improves.