YouTube launches online movie rental service in the UK
Google-owned site will offer UK film fans online rental of blockbusters including The Dark Knight and Reservoir Dogs
YouTube is to offer movies including The Dark Knight for rental in the UK. Photograph: AP
YouTube has launched its movie rental service in the UK with thousands of blockbusters including The Dark Knight and Reservoir Dogs.
Film fans in the UK can now rent new releases for £3.49 and older titles for between £2.49 and £3.49 from YouTube.
The move puts the Google-owned site in direct competition with Amazon's LoveFilm, which claims some 1.6 million customers in the UK and Europe. LoveFilm makes new releases available to non-members for between £2.49 and £3.49 a film.
Viewers will be given a 30-day window to watch their film on YouTube, and 48 hours once they have started viewing it.
YouTube has signed UK-specific deals with Hollywood film companies including Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Universal and Lionsgate. The website has also signed deals with Revolver Entertainment, the British studio behind Talihina Sky: The story of Kings of Leon, and Metrodome.
The UK becomes only the third market where YouTube has launched its movie rental business, after the US and Canada.
YouTube launched its US video-on-demand service in May as part of its shift away from short, low-quality clips that made the site so popular. YouTube is by far the busiest video website online, with more than 100 million unique monthly viewers, according to figures released by web metrics firm Nielsen in June.
The launch of the UK movie rental service follows longstanding deals with broadcasters, including Channel 4 and Channel 5, who make their programmes available on the site.
Patrick Walker, senior director of content partnerships for YouTube in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: "We're happy to be working with partners of all sizes to bring more content to YouTube users.
"In addition to clips, user-created and long-form TV content our British users know and love, now movie lovers can find full-length feature films on YouTube in the UK."
Josh Halliday
guardian.co.uk, Friday 7 October 2011 14.38 BST
© 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Google-owned site will offer UK film fans online rental of blockbusters including The Dark Knight and Reservoir Dogs
YouTube is to offer movies including The Dark Knight for rental in the UK. Photograph: AP
YouTube has launched its movie rental service in the UK with thousands of blockbusters including The Dark Knight and Reservoir Dogs.
Film fans in the UK can now rent new releases for £3.49 and older titles for between £2.49 and £3.49 from YouTube.
The move puts the Google-owned site in direct competition with Amazon's LoveFilm, which claims some 1.6 million customers in the UK and Europe. LoveFilm makes new releases available to non-members for between £2.49 and £3.49 a film.
Viewers will be given a 30-day window to watch their film on YouTube, and 48 hours once they have started viewing it.
YouTube has signed UK-specific deals with Hollywood film companies including Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Universal and Lionsgate. The website has also signed deals with Revolver Entertainment, the British studio behind Talihina Sky: The story of Kings of Leon, and Metrodome.
The UK becomes only the third market where YouTube has launched its movie rental business, after the US and Canada.
YouTube launched its US video-on-demand service in May as part of its shift away from short, low-quality clips that made the site so popular. YouTube is by far the busiest video website online, with more than 100 million unique monthly viewers, according to figures released by web metrics firm Nielsen in June.
The launch of the UK movie rental service follows longstanding deals with broadcasters, including Channel 4 and Channel 5, who make their programmes available on the site.
Patrick Walker, senior director of content partnerships for YouTube in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: "We're happy to be working with partners of all sizes to bring more content to YouTube users.
"In addition to clips, user-created and long-form TV content our British users know and love, now movie lovers can find full-length feature films on YouTube in the UK."
Josh Halliday
guardian.co.uk, Friday 7 October 2011 14.38 BST
© 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
