Monday, October 10, 2011

YouTube Expands Movie Rental Business

Did you even know YouTube is in the movie rental business? It's already expanding into Canada and the UK market, after having started in the US. This development is not entirely out of the blue: Mashable, PC World, and others reported on it last year.

No need to be in front of a computer screen--YouTube movie rentals can stream to Android phones, naturally.

Comcast and other cable companies are feeling pressure from on-demand streaming movie rental deals like YouTube's and Netflix's (not to mention the new Direct/Blockbuster offer). Comcast wants to stream movies before the rental firms get ahold of them, but at a high price point, reportedly.

So pricing may wind up to be a key decision point for consumers. Go out to Redbox and get something for $1? Or stream via subscription from Netflix (which just dropped the Qwikster split-up plan)? Or rent on the fly anytime from YouTube? Lots of choices, and lots of changes on the horizon. Stay tuned.

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