The Disney-owned Movies Anywhere app is here to pull together digital films from disparate studios and platforms under one app, but not all studios are on board.
The app, which launched today in the U.S., includes films from Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Film, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment, and pulls together individuals’ movies that were purchased or redeemed through digital retailers Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes and Vudu.
The service is owned by Disney but is operated by an independent advisory committee.
Movies Anywhere works on Amazon Fire devices, Android devices and Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, Roku devices and web browsers.
"Movies Anywhere means that consumers never have to remember where they purchased a film or which device they can watch it on, because all of their eligible movies will be centralized within their Movies Anywhere library and available across platforms through the Movies Anywhere app and website and also available at their connected digital retailers. And as Movies Anywhere continues to add more studios, retailers and platforms, the entertainment possibilities are endless,” said Karin Gilford, general manager of the independent Movies Anywhere team.
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Currently though, a few major U.S. film studios are absent from Movies Anywhere: Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate. But that could change down the line.
“We are evaluating the platform and have been in discussions about the possibility of joining at a future date,” said a Paramount spokesperson.
Despite the few holes in availability of films, the new service is pushing forward with its launch and putting up a special offer to entice consumers to connect their various digital retailer accounts to the service. Consumers who connect one account from either Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes or Vudu will get receive digital copies of Sony Pictures' "Ghostbusters" (2016) and Twentieth Century Fox's "Ice Age." Consumers who connect two accounts will also receive Disney's "Big Hero 6," Universal's "Jason Bourne" and Warner Bros.' "The LEGO Movie.”