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YouTube premieres UK movie service

October 7, 2011

By Colin Mann

Following the May 2011 launch of its service bringing new release movies and more for rent to YouTube in the US, and September’s similar initiative in Canada, now over a thousand full-length feature films from major Hollywood and British studios are available for rent in the UK at youtube.com/movies.

Announcing the development in a company blog, Matteo Vallone, YouTube Business Product Manager, said: “We’ve got some cracking films to keep everyone entertained through the upcoming winter months and beyond. From blockbusters like The Dark Knight and Reservoir Dogs, to new releases such as Hann, Fast Five, and Red Riding Hood, and even British classics like Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, you can find many of your favourite films in high quality available to rent now at youtube.com/movies.”

Noting that Britain has a long history of cinema, starting from the first moving pictures being developed on celluloid film in the UK, Vallone says that now British film buffs can be part of the digital revolution too, at youtube.com/movies.

New releases start at £3.49, while movies from studio catalogues can be rented at £2.49 for standard definitions and £3.49 for high-definition quality. Once a user rents a movie they will have a 30-day window in which they can watch it. Once they have begun watching it, they will have 48 hours to finish it.

YouTube’s senior director of content partnerships of EMEA Patrick Walker, said, “We’re happy to be working with partners of all sizes to bring more content to YouTube users. In addition to the clips, user created and long-form TV content our British users know and love, now movie lovers can find full-length feature films on YouTube in the UK.”

Miramax CEO Mike Lang revealed at MIPCOM in Cannes that the studio is also in talks with Google over potential tie-ups with Google, both for YouTube, Google TV, and its Android platform.

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