1 February 2006

Movies and popular television shows are to be made available on the Internet.

Warner Bros is planning to offer films such as Batman Begins and shows like The OC to web users across Europe.

The studio's In2Movies service is part of Warner Bros' plans to increase its international status and is a reaction to the increasing level of movie piracy over the web. It is estimated that during the first six months of 2005, over 1.7 million Internet users illegally downloaded a total of 11.9 million movies in Germany.

"One of the most effective weapons for defeating online piracy is providing legal, easy-to-use alternatives," said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros Home Entertainment.

It is expected that new films will be available to users on the same day as the DVD titles are released and there are already plans to allow downloading of portable content. However, Warner Bros have yet to confirm how much the In2Movies service will cost subscribers.

The growing popularity of broadband and other high-speed Internet access services means that a number of companies are looking at capitalising on providing online content. The BBC is currently developing a similar service that will allow people to watch television programmes online for up to a week after their original broadcast.

© Adfero Ltd

Keep up to date with industry and Nomensa news by signing up to Nomensa newsletters.