Fox to Sell Downloadable Films, TV Shows

Twentieth Century Fox will soon begin selling films like the new X-Men: The Last Stand, as well as television shows like 24 via the Direct2Drive service, which is currently employed for selling video games, the Associated Press reports via the New York Post.

The films will sell for roughly $20 each, the shows will go for $1.99 an episode, and Web surfers will be able to view them on their computers and devices running Microsoft’s Windows Media Player application, according to the AP.

Additional film titles to be available in October include The Omen and Thank You for Not Smoking, and all movies will be available on the day they’re released on DVD, the AP reports. Such TV shows as Prison Break and the FX network’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will also be sold within a day of each episode’s television broadcast, according to the AP.

Fox, which is owned by News Corp., plans to offer additional film and television titles in the future, the AP reports.

Fox programming—including 24 and Prison Break—is already available through Apple Computer’s iTunes Music Store for $1.99 an episode; however, Apple customers who purchase such content can view it only on an iPod.

The films and TV programming to be offered via Fox’s Direct2Drive service will include copy-protection technologies that allow for two computers running Microsoft Windows to play the content, and each machine will support one handheld device, the AP reports.

IGN Entertainment, another firm owned by News Corp., operates the Direct2Drive offering, according to the AP.

Related Links:

• Film-to-DVD Burning to be Simplified

• Apple iTunes Adds TBS Programming

• Netflix, NBC Team to Offer Episodes of New TV Programs

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