As part of the alliance, Zip.ca will introduce a digital movie service powered by Roxio CinemaNow, offering movies and TV episodes that can be instantly downloaded and enjoyed on PCs. In addition, the service will be embedded in consumer electronics (CE), enabling consumers to stream premium video entertainment directly to a range of home and mobile devices.
The partnership and introduction of digital movie delivery enhances the Zip.ca subscription service, which currently offers Canadians access to over 72,000 DVD titles via mail. It will also mark an important expansion for Roxio CinemaNow, which will gain a strong foothold in the Canadian marketplace and the ability to offer CE device partners a more flexible, multi-region enabled solution.
The companies are currently collaborating with content owners to build an entertainment library that will expand over time and include new releases, catalog movies and TV shows. This will result in the first large-scale commercial movie download service in Canada. Zip.ca is exploring a number of models for its digital service including al a carte rentals and purchases as well as subscription-based options.
