CinemaNow’s Lasting Downloads

(sub. req.): In a significant move, CinemaNow has become the first major video-on-demand Web site to begin selling permanent downloads of films. These are indie movies, but still no studio pics…

It’s still a major shift for the online VOD biz, however, as CinemaNow and its major competitor, studio-backed MovieLink, have previously only offered their titles as rentals, with the digital files self-deleting after a certain amount of time.

Reuters: CinemaNow sees about 1 million unique users a month and converts roughly 30,000 of those to customers who pay anywhere from $1.99 to $4.95 to rent a movie for 24 hours to 72 hours, depending on the title. Subscriptions are also available for $9.95 a month and $49.95 for a year.

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