ReelTime delivers movies via IPStar satellite

Stuart Corner
Monday, 12 February 2007 07:05

Your IT - Home IT

ReelTime Media is to offer its movie download service via the IPStar broadband network, enabling users to rent or buy download movies without paying volume charges for the data.

Access to the ReelTime service will be offered as a premium on existing broadband access services by IPStar's service providers - presently Activ8me, BlueMaxx, Clear Networks, GoBush and ONEWire. Packages will cost from $41 per month, with rental movies from $1. A set top box with subscription packages (unlimited movie rentals0 will be available from April 2007.

"We see this as an alternative to Austar because customers can also gets VoIP and having the Internet gives people access to online news and weather as opposed to canned news and weather [on Austar's satellite TV service]," ReelTime managing director, John Karantzis told iTWire. "Austar has to date really been the only way people in rural Australia can keep in touch."

He added that ReelTime's planned subscription service would also include news and weather services.
 
The IPStar satellite provides services over the whole of the Australian landmass and ReelTime says: "This agreement brings real alternatives to regional Australia, most of whom do not have easy access to either a video store for rentals, or retail stores for DVD purchase... This will be Australia's first service that integrates broadband with video across all of Australia."

Separate from the IPStar agreement, ReelTime.tv content is currently available for download to PC by anyone with Internet access, and soon will be available directly to TV via a ReelBox.

ReelTime has also announced that Yahoo!7 users will soon be able to link straight to ReelTime.tv's movie download service, following an agreement between ReelTime and Yahoo!7 announced last August.

ReelTime offers both download to rent and download to own, movie and TV titles, and has agreements with various studios including Sony Pictures, MGM, NBCUniversal & 20th Century Fox.