Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and LOVEFiLM announced that the companies have signed an agreement that will see LOVEFiLM become the official integrated subscription film service provider in the UK on the PlayStation 3 (PS3).
For more information visit: www.playstation.com ; www.lovefilm.com
Unedited press release follows:
LOVEFiLM, Europe’s Biggest Digital & DVD Subscription Service in Major Deal with Sony PS3
Partnership Gives 3 Million UK Households Access to Stream LOVEFiLM Video Content
LONDON–Sony PlayStation 3 and LOVEFiLM, Europe’s leading provider of premium content on demand or by mail, today announced a groundbreaking partnership that will bring LOVEFiLM to millions of PS3 users across the UK. An agreement between the companies will see LOVEFiLM become PS3’s official integrated subscription film service partner in the UK. LOVEFiLM subscribers will be able to stream the UK’s largest choice of subscription titles directly to their TVs, through PS3 consoles, opening a new world of interactivity with LOVEFiLM.
The partnership will soon take LOVEFiLM, with 1.4 million subscribers today, into PS3’s three million-and-growing UK households. It is the most significant extension to date of LOVEFiLM’s direct-to-TV rollout, which began in March when LOVEFiLM launched on SONY BRAVIA Internet Video TVs, Blu-ray players and Blu-ray Home Theatre kits.
LOVEFiLM CEO Simon Calver said, “This is game-changing for LOVEFiLM and transformational for the UK home entertainment market as a whole. PS3 has a very large installed customer base of all ages who will soon be able to benefit from our unique combination of instantly available content, streamed through their console, as well as DVD, Blu-ray & Games rental by mail. To become PS3’s official partner in the UK, for our subscription film and TV shows service, is a tremendous endorsement of the value, choice and convenience offered by LOVEFiLM.”
“We know there is a huge interest within our audience for film, and so the addition of LOVEFiLM to our current range of services is a very natural fit and one which significantly enhances the value proposition of PlayStation 3,” said Ray Maguire, MD of Sony Computer Entertainment UK. “LOVEFiLM has a proven track record of success and innovation in the film distribution field and is a very welcome addition to the PlayStation family that I’m confident PlayStation gamers will embrace enthusiastically.”
The LOVEFiLM service will become available on the main user interface on all Internet-connected PS3s, providing most members of LOVEFiLM subscription packages with access to thousands of titles from major studios and independents streamed instantly to their TV via their PS3 console, in addition to the rental by mail services. Members will be able to scroll through titles on the page, also search through categories including ‘Pick of the Week,’ ‘Most Watched,’ and ‘Highest Rated;’ view ratings; and search through the LOVEFiLM instant offering by title, actor and genre. LOVEFiLM will offer any PS3 user, who is not already a LOVEFiLM subscriber, exclusive incentives to join the service, including free trials.
About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PlayStation 3 in November 2006, over 38 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 146.1 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 62.7 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, over 54 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 1.1 billion items have been downloaded.
About LOVEFiLM
In a little over 6 years LOVEFiLM has become the leading European film subscription service combining the benefits of DVD rental by mail and watching movies online via the LOVEFiLM Player (on the PC or streamed to the TV). Customers can therefore choose how they want to watch from a selection of over 67,000 titles, including HD/Blu-ray DVDs, video games and digital streaming. LOVEFiLM has over 1.4 million members and operates in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany.