UK telephone giant BT is in advanced talks with several Hollywood studios to give its internet customers access to a comprehensive film library this autumn. It has already signed a deal with Paramount.

     CUSTOMER CHOICE 

Dan Marks, the chief executive of BT TV Services has been quoted as saying: “The film service is designed to provide BT customers with a choice of hundreds of films and we intend to provide a comprehensive library of classic films in addition to the latest blockbusters. We are in talks with film studios.”

BT customers will be charged on a pay-per-view basis and films will be streamed to ordinary televisions through a Philips set-top box provided by BT.

     COMPETITION

The service will compete head-to-head with illicit internet download services but also with legitimate services such as the Universal film download system announced last week in the UK and billed as “the world’s first download-to-own film service”.

Universal plans to offer new films at midnight on the date of their DVD release and allow customers to own them in digital format to watch on a PC or handheld device while the DVD disc is being shipped in the post. The films will be the customer’s to own and cost £9.99 to £19.99.

BT has not revealed the pricing of its films, but they are likely to cost less and the film will be streamed to the customer’s set-top box for one viewing only. When watching entertainment such as films or TV, viewers will be able to browse related internet sites to shop for associated good and services.

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