HMV launches online movie service

HMV launches online film service
Will HMV's on-demand service be in demand?

HMV has announced the arrival of its online film service, aptly called HMVOn-Demand.

The service is the first time the struggling entertainment seller has tried its hand at streaming and has enlisted the help of FilmFlex to power the site – the same company that Virgin Media and Film4 use.

Speaking about the new on-demand initiative, Mark Hodkinson, marketing and eCommerce director, HMV Group, said: "With a growing number of consumers now incorporating video-on-demand into their viewing and purchasing habits, the time is right to include a digital service into our own offer."

Not for mobile

HMV will be hoping that its streaming venture will stymie its profit slump, which saw the company go from pre-tax profits of £67.3m to just £2.6m in 2011.

The streaming market in the UK is burgeoning at the moment – with the likes of LoveFilm and iPlayer paving the way for watching content online.

It is also a market that is set to expand with the impending arrival of Netflix in early 2012.

You can check the service out at www.hmvondemand.com – those who want to rent a movie and watch it on a portable device, though, will be disappointed. In the site's Help section it states that mobile devices are not compatible with the service "due to security and right restrictions".

In short, you will have to do your movie watching in front of your PC or connect your computer up to your telly.

Via the Telegraph

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.