Sonic Solutions in Over-the-Top Deal with Cineplex Entertainment

Sonic Solutions, the digital media company that in 2008 acquired the pioneering broadband VOD service/platform, CinemaNow (it subsequently added "Roxio" to the service's name in order to make its branding consistent with its other products), announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with Canadian movie theater chain operator, Cineplex Entertainment. According to the company, the deal sees Cineplex licensing the Roxio CinemaNow platform to power a new movie streaming and download service at http://www.cineplex.com, that will make content available on a range of connected devices and that is scheduled to launch later this year. The service will be targeted at the Canadian market. "Roxio CinemaNow offers a turnkey solution that will enable Cineplex customers to access thousands of movies including Hollywood's best blockbusters instantly from the comfort of their living room, extending their in-theater experience at home," Susan Mandryk, Cineplex's SVP of customer strategies, said in a prepared statement. "Cineplex is already the number one choice for out-of-home movie entertainment. Now with the CinemaNow-powered digital entertainment services, we want to become their choice for an evening of entertainment at home."

According to Sonic Solutions, the Roxio CinemaNow platform serves a broad range of premium content to a growing, multi-manufacturer ecosystem of home and mobile electronics, including PC's, connected TV's, DVR's, Blu-ray Disc players, smartphones and other mobile devices. The company bills the platform as enabling retailers and CE manufacturers to "participate in the entertainment supply chain, add value to product offerings and form ongoing relationships with customers." The platform--which provides storefronts to enable renting and purchase of content, as well as a storage system that Sonic says provides "the flexibility to play back content ordered on additional consumer electronics devices"--also powers over-the-top services for Best Buy and Blockbuster.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, Sonic Solutions announced version 2.0 of Roxio CinemaNow, which offers various new 3D, HD and interactive capabilities (see the article published on itvt.com, January 5th).