Sony Moves Toward Video Downloads
According to various news reports, Sony is likely to enter the movie-download market soon, putting the company in competition with Apple’s iTunes, Microsoft’s Xbox Live, and several other movie-download services.
The Sony service has been in development for about a year and should go public in early 2007, reports have noted. Unlike other companies, such as Microsoft, which have to ink deals with content providers, Sony already has a deep well of content through Sony Pictures Entertainment. It’s expected that the company also will eventually include content from other studios.
Another advantage to Sony could be the ability to share movie downloads between game devices, such as between a PlayStation 3 and a PlayStation Portable.
Feature Rich
Sony’s potential move into video is similar to a recent play by Microsoft, which began incorporating video downloads into its Xbox Live service in November.
Microsoft became the first game console maker to enter content-distribution deals with TV and movie studios in an attempt to broaden the appeal of its gaming platform and make it into an entertainment hub rather than a mere game console.
Other game companies were expected to follow suit, so Sony’s new focus on video does not come as a surprise to industry observers. What remains to be seen, however, is what company might gain an advantage in the console wars as more features like these are introduced.
Another aspect of the video-download capability to watch will be whether the console makers can steal any users away from Apple’s iTunes store, which offers a wide array of TV, video, and movie downloads, and is expected to significantly increase its selection of content in 2007.
Game On
Although the inclusion of video downloads to the PlayStation platform might be welcome to gamers, it is likely not a driving force for consumers looking to buy a gaming device, said…
