Starz Unveils New Web Movie Download Service

Alan Breznick, Cable/Video Practice Leader, Light Reading

January 4, 2006

1 Min Read
Starz Unveils New Web Movie Download Service

Starz Entertainment Group is joining the portable video parade. But it won't be marching with Apple's new video iPod, the early leader of that parade. Starz, which launched a movie download subscription service for broadband subscribers more than a year ago, is now rolling out a broader subscription service that enables high-speed data users to transfer films from their computers to portable video players and TV sets. Known as Vongo, the new subscription service will offer more than 1,000 movie and other video content, as well as a live, streaming Starz TV channel, for $9.99 a month. That marks a big improvement over the current Starz Ticket service, which offers about 300 movies for $12.95 a month. The new Vongo service will rely on from either Microsoft Windows Media or new Sony Connect to carry out the downloads to compatible computers, portable media players and TV sets. But it won't enable consumers to transfer content to the video iPod, the trailblazer in the portable video market, because Starz hasn't been able to work out a deal with Apple. As a result, Vongo may be a slow-go unless the Microsoft-powered and Sony-powered portable video players take off like iPods have.

About the Author(s)

Alan Breznick

Cable/Video Practice Leader, Light Reading

Alan Breznick is a business editor and research analyst who has tracked the cable, broadband and video markets like an over-bred bloodhound for more than 20 years.

As a senior analyst at Light Reading's research arm, Heavy Reading, for six years, Alan authored numerous reports, columns, white papers and case studies, moderated dozens of webinars, and organized and hosted more than 15 -- count 'em --regional conferences on cable, broadband and IPTV technology topics. And all this while maintaining a summer job as an ostrich wrangler.

Before that, he was the founding editor of Light Reading Cable, transforming a monthly newsletter into a daily website. Prior to joining Light Reading, Alan was a broadband analyst for Kinetic Strategies and a contributing analyst for One Touch Intelligence.

He is based in the Toronto area, though is New York born and bred. Just ask, and he will take you on a power-walking tour of Manhattan, pointing out the tourist hotspots and the places that make up his personal timeline: The bench where he smoked his first pipe; the alley where he won his first fist fight. That kind of thing.

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