Australian IPTV service provider EzyFlix.tv is seeking to mix a little of the new--renting content for a limited time via a variety of IP-based video-on-demand capabilities--with a little of the old--buying and owning that content.
"The ownership market is twice the size of the rental market," said CEO Craig White in an interview with Australia's AdNews. "There's a billion dollar market for packaged media--every teenage girl probably has a copy of Twilight. The reality is consumers want to own."
By making content available for both rental and purchase, White believes, EzyFlix.tv will be able to distinguish itself from its competitors in the nascent IPTV market.
"You line up all the services available, which ones offer download-to-own, which offer offline playback, which also play on Android devices. You cross off those requirements and we're the only one," he said.
Of course, Australia is no different than the United States when it comes to this sort of model. Studios are wary about allowing their content to be copied from one device to another for fear the files will be illegally shared.
White, while conceding that these concerns present roadblocks "for the time being," suggested things are "happening behind closed doors" to change the situation. The new model would also help with piracy, he said.
"The key driver of piracy is availability of content. The more legitimate services there are that offer convenience, availability, good value and a good experience, the less people we'll see going to piracy," he maintained in the article.
For more:
- AdNews carried this story
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