Netflix announced today that it is launching a movie download service with 1,000 titles. Even though they are later to the game, I believe they will do well. They have great brand recognition and strong consumer loyalty – far above most of the competitors – Let’s see how that stacks up against the competition:
1. Vongo – offers over 1,000 movies – subscription service for $9.99 per month – currently offering a 14 day free trial.
2. CinemaNow – offers over 1500 movies – they seem to be trying a little of everything to see which model works best – available to purchase for digital playback, rent and burn to disc. There’s a small catlaog of films available to stream fro free with advertising. They also offer a subscription service – all you can eat for $29.95 per month or $99.95 for a year – currently offering a 7 day free trial
3. iTunes – not a lot of details on the site about the number of movies available. Only available a la carte and single downloads. Prices per download vary.
4. Movielink – hundreds of movies available for rent and purchase. Rentals start at $.99 each -
watch it as many times as you want in 24 hours. Purchase for unlimited viewing – prices starting at $1.99 each
5. Guba – hundreds of movies available. A mix of Hollywood features and TV and user generated content. Rent for $.99 each – watch it as many times as you want in 24 hours. Buy Hollywood features from $9.99 each.
6. Amazon – Unbox variable pricing on hundreds of feature films and tv shows. Rental prices start at $1.99 and up. Same daily limitations on playback as the others. Loads of information about the movie, producers, talent etc. from Amazon owned IMDB.com. Great recommendations engine.