iptv news_news 07/03/2014 08:32 Page 1
Disney Movies Anywhere launches
he Walt Disney
Studios has unveiled
its exclusive cloudbased digital movie service,
Disney Movies Anywhere.
This all-new app for iPhone,
iPad, and iPod touch and
Web experience enables
consumers to discover, purchase, manage, and watch
movies from Disney, Pixar,
and Marvel at home and on
the go. iTunes is the premier
digital movie provider for
Disney Movies Anywhere.
The initiative puts Disney at
odds with the majority of
Hollywood studios, who have
thrown their weight behind the
UltraViolet Digital Content
ecosystem, as well as a range of
CE manufacturers and digital
services. Disney Movies
Anywhere’s functionality is built
upon Disney’s proprietary digital
rights locker, KeyChest.
The debut of Disney Movies
Anywhere coincides with the
digital release of Disney’s hit film
Frozen and features Disney’s
library of over 400 active digital
titles.
“Disney Movies Anywhere
offers an exceptional consumer
experience built around some of
the most beloved and popular
entertainment brands in the
world,” said Alan Bergman,
President, The Walt Disney
Studios. “This unique technology
underscores Disney’s commit-
T
THE WRAP
IPTV flourishes
in Gulf
Fourteen service providers
in nine countries in the
Arab World offered IPTV
services by October 2013,
up from eleven service
providers in eight countries
offering IPTV by year-end
2011 according to research
firm Arab Advisors Group.
As broadband adoption
increases in the region,
several operators have plans
to implement IPTV in the
6 IP television
ment to meeting our consumers
where they are with the content
they want, and we’re thrilled to
début with iTunes, the Number
One digital media retailer in the
world.”
Positioning itself s a trusted
creator of
premium
entertainment experiences for
the whole
family,
Disney says
it is committed to
making it
easier than
ever for consumers to dive in and
grow their digital movie libraries.
In a seamless and family-friendly
experience, Disney Movies
Anywhere unlocks digital content
across platforms and devices,
enabling access to user-owned
Disney digital content and movies
in the Disney Movies Anywhere
ecosystem and through iTunes.
Users can simply connect their
iTunes account to their Disney
Movies Anywhere account to
begin populating their Disney digital movie locker and watch
movies online and on their
devices. Featuring simultaneous
access on multiple devices,
Disney Movies Anywhere enables
consumers to stream and download Disney movies on their
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and
near future. In the GCC (Gulf
Cooperation Council) Arab
states - Bahrain, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
and the United Arab Emirates
- FTTH expansion has
triggered strong demand for
Triple Play services.
Fourteen service providers
in nine countries in the MENA
region - Bahrain, Egypt,
Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
and the UAE - offer IPTV
services .
The adoption of IPTV is
Apple TV (through iCloud or
using AirPlay). In addition,
Disney Movies Anywhere
functions as a streaming movie
service when users log in to the
website on their desktop or laptop
computers (Mac or PC).
“Disney
Movies
Anywhere is
an adaptable digital
ecosystem
designed to
help consumers consolidate
their Disney
movie collections and enjoy them for years
to come,” said Jamie Voris, CTO,
The Walt Disney Studios. “The
beauty of this technology is that it
enables us to work with iTunes
and future provider partners to
ensure movie lovers have streamlined access to all of their favorite
Disney titles no matter which
device they are on. The intuitive
layout of the website and app creates an easy and enjoyable browsing environment for the whole
family.”
Since 2008, Disney has
included codes in select DVD and
Blu-ray products redeemable for
digital copies of Disney, Pixar,
and Marvel films. Users can now
redeem these codes through
Disney Movies Anywhere, and
Digital Copy titles previously
flourishing in the GCC countries in particular; by
September 2013 Saudi
operator STC managed to
increase its IPTV subscription
base by 76% over the corresponding period of 2012.
The markets in UAE and
Qatar also registered strong
uptake of IPTV services; for
example Ooredoo's triple
play accounts jumped from
31,873 by year-end 2010 to
88,398 by September 2013;
a growth of 177%.
There are ongoing or
redeemed in Disney Movie
Rewards or via iTunes will
automatically be active in both
Disney Movies Anywhere and
iTunes once a user logs into
Disney Movies Anywhere and
connects their iTunes account.
Additionally, for the first time,
consumers can now earn Disney
Movie Rewards points for their
digital purchases through Disney
Movies Anywhere going forward.
Reacting to the launch, Mitch
Singer, president of the Digital
Entertainment Content
Ecosystem (DECE), the body
tasked with deploying UltraViolet,
has suggested that the two are not
incompatible and that there are
“lots of ways” the two services can
work together.
Singer said he did not see
Disney Movies Everywhere as a
foe, but as another important step
forward for movie and TV lovers.
“I think the key takeaway is that
every single major motion picture
studio believes that consumers
who like to collect our content
should be able to view that
content across multiple devices.”
Singer said he was “cautiously
optimistic” th