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MSN to Stream Movies to Television

By Ed Oswald | Published January 6, 2005, 12:18 PM

MSN announced Thursday that it will begin to offer pay-per-view movies from CinemaNow through its MSN TV 2 set-top boxes beginning in spring 2005. Customers will receive an upgrade to their boxes, which will allow them to view content protected with digital rights management.

"We know people prefer to watch movies and videos in the comfort of their living rooms rather than being tied to their computer screens," said Sam Klepper, general manager of MSN TV. "Together, MSN TV and CinemaNow make it easy and convenient for consumers to watch Internet-based Windows Media-compatible movies and video on a TV by using the MSN TV 2 Internet and Media Player."

The agreement allows CinemaNow's library of over 2,000 movies to be accessed over MSN TV boxes that are linked to a high-speed connection, either over a home network or connected directly to the internet.

Curt Marvis, CEO of CinemaNow, says the partnership is vital to moving the Internet movie business forward. "With so few digital media receivers capable of replaying Windows Media DRM-protected video content, working with MSN TV is a natural and logical fit and, more importantly, a great benefit to both of our user groups."

Pricing of movies streamed to MSN TV has not yet been announced, but CinemaNow usually offers pay-per-view flicks around $2.99 to $4.99 USD. MSN previously offered CinemaNow's video on demand service to its online members.

Nate Mook contributed to this article.

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