Sky has snagged a new far-reaching deal with Warner Bros that will see its films hit Sky Movies and Now TV well before they reach other on-demand services.
Sky Movies will be able to show Warner Bros films around six months after they finish their cinema runs, with exclusivity to Sky's services remaining in place for over a year after that.
As well as on the actual television and through Now TV, the movies will be available on-demand through the Sky Go tablet and smartphone apps and on a pay-per-view basis through Sky Store and Sky Movies Box Office.
Old sport
The deal includes new films, including from current titles (The Dark Knight Rises) to future blockbusters like period 3D extravaganza The Great Gatsby. Older 'classic' titles will also be available (step up, The Matrix, LOTR and Lethal Weapon) on demand.
The new deal will be a bit of a blow to Netflix and Lovefilm, neither of which will be able to offer new Warner Bros titles for over a year and a half after they leave the cinema.
It's all part of the on-going video-streaming land-grab which sees the three major players fighting for content deals; Netflix first maintained it wasn't too bothered about new releases, but it has recently changed its tune.
Amazon-owned Lovefilm, meanwhile, has several deals in place with studios and distributors like Miramax, Fox, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures, some exclusive and some not-so.
We've said it before and we'll say it again: the movie fan is the only loser in this brave new on-demand exclusive-deal-laden world.
