Warner Bros. in China VOD Initiative

LONDON,
November 4: Following a similar deal in Korea, Warner Bros. has become the
first Hollywood studio to make new movie releases available in China via video
on demand, priced at between 60 cents and $1 per title.

New-release
movies, some of which have not even been released theatrically in China, will
be available for VOD rental on a PC via Voole.com
at a price of between 4 Rmb and 7 Rmb each. Upcoming titles will include I Am Legend, Fool's Gold and Speed Racer,
with further new titles announced as they become available. A range of classic
and library titles across films, TV series and special interest will also be
available.

The
move is an attempt to capitalize on China's booming broadband
population—with a projected 230 million users by year-end—as well
as stem the rampant piracy in the market.

Tony Vaughan, the managing
director of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's joint venture in China, CAV
Warner, stated: "Over 80 percent of the total China internet population
has viewed online video content in the last six months alone, and now we can
offer them a wider selection of top-quality entertainment the way they want to
watch it."

—By Mansha Daswani