Watch the trailer, read the celebrity interview--and then buy movie tickets for that night's show, or rent the DVD. That's the routine Microsoft is encouraging, adding star power to its MSN Internet site by partnering with Blockbuster, CinemaNow, and MovieTickets.com so visitors can rent DVDs, download movies, and buy movie tickets.
Microsoft's newly announced partnerships with this trio of movie industry players aims to attract movie fans and more broadband users to its Internet portal.
Entertainment Your Way
The entertainment pages of MSN are a big draw for broadband users, says Christine Andrews, lead product manager for MSN.
"We keep investing in our entertainment site because it's one of our biggest click-throughs," she says. The key to these partnerships, she adds, is that "they're all at one aggregrated site, through MSN Movies. You could watch the trailer of The Manchurian Candidate, you can see an interview with Denzel Washington, then get showtimes and movie tickets."
Visitors to the site who want to rent DVDs will be able to sign up to Blockbuster's new online service through MSN, which offers unlimited movie rentals, delivered to users' homes three at a time, for $19.99 a month.
The new services mark Blockbuster's long-awaited entry to online distribution, and the partnership will be grow over time, the participants say.
"Initially, it will be a promotional banner and promotional links. You'll see on MSN 'rent it at Blockbuster,' and find a link to our site," says Shane Evangelist, Blockbuster senior vice president and general manager. The company expects "sometime in 2005" to enable a feature so you can add movies to your personal rental priority list, without leaving the MSN site.
Like Blockbuster, MovieTickets.com will only be a link exchange. Users who prefer to watch movies in the theaters can buy tickets on MSN through MovieTickets.com.
However, the CinemaNow partnership is much more prominent.
"You come in to one place, then you go off to a co-branded site with CinemaNow, where the [Microsoft] butterfly is at the top part of the frame," MSN's Andrews says. For movies on demand, a partnership with CinemaNow will enable consumers to download movies with prices starting at $3.99 for a 24-hour viewing period. Monthly subscriptions will also be available, offering limited content downloads for $9.95 a month to premium movie, music and TV downloads for $29.95 a month.
Broadband Focus
While users can currently rent, download, and purchase tickets from various online sources, MSN hopes that by aggregating the movie offerings on its site, it will be become destination of choice for film fans.
Microsoft has been working to bolster its online presence by adding extra features and content to MSN in recent months, with a focus on attracting broadband users. In May, it teamed with FoxSports.com to create a co-branded sports portal on its MSN network, offering game clips, commentary and other related content. Earlier in the year, the company announced new blogging and news search services, and it has recently enhanced MSN Search.
"We want to be the best destination on the Web for broadband users," says Andrews. "Movie downloads fits right into that strategy. And we will be adding a music service later this year."
The added features come as Microsoft works to gird itself against the growing strength of online competitors such as Yahoo and Google, which have been busy lining up their own new wave of offerings.
Melissa J. Perenson of PC World contributed to this report.
