As most states continue to enforce social distancing measures, many businesses where many people gather are shutting down. This includes movie theaters. Which is why NBCUniversal will be offering new movies on-demand for you to watch at home instead.
Jeff Shell, CEO of the company, said in a statement “we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable.” He says this is a better option compared to having to delay or release the films in the “challenged distribution landscape” we are currently living in.
Starting with Trolls World Tour (a Dreamworks film, which is a company under Comcast), those subscribed to Comcast Cable and Sky as well as other affiliated on-demand services will be able to rent “Now Showing in Theaters” films for $19.99 and for a period of two days. Other movies that will be released on-demand are The Invisible Man, Emma and The Hunt.
This somewhat of a power move might spark a change in the TV and film industry during the coronavirus era. Disney, one of the other media beasts in the world, also took a similar initiative by making Frozen II available for streaming on Disney + three months ahead of schedule.
As people stay quarantined in their homes, it seems like a pretty smart move for these companies to make money by focusing on their streaming services. Additionally, it wouldn’t surprise me if other media companies continued to drive a lot of its focus towards their digital and streaming services and products within the next few months. Pandemic or not, this all might translate into a significant market shift for advertisers, as they have to move in the direction the audience is consuming media inside their homes. However, this also poses a challenge for movie theater companies as well as their employees, who have not been able operate or provide their movie-going experience.
Sources: https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/comcast-making-new-movies-available-for-in-home-viewing
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