Hulu may be the streaming service for sale this week, but Facebook has announced its largest streaming movie endeavor to date, partnering with Miramax to offer rentals from its esteemed catalog, Paid Content reported. Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal all have deals with Mark Zuckerberg's company, but none of this scope.
The Miramax eXperience goes live today, offering 20 titles to users in the United States and 10 to those in the United Kingdom and Turkey. France and Germany are next up.
Films such as "Chicago," "Good Will Hunting" and "Pulp Fiction" will be available on your computer, iPad and through Google TV, though the latter is only for U.S. viewers.
""Facebook Platform and Facebook Credits are open to all developers, and we're intrigued and enthusiastic about companies like Miramax building social experiences that help people connect through entertainment content," a Facebook spokesperson said.
This is but the latest streaming venture for Miramax, which already has deals with Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and Apple.
Also Read: 'Pulp Fiction,' 'Good Will Hunting' and Other Miramax Films Come to Hulu Plus
CEO Mike Lang told Paid Content that he has sought out these various platforms for their popularity and market share, and that in this particular case Facebook’s social element was very important.
In a statement on the Miramax website, Lang pointed out that "there are over 50 million friends on Facebook that mention a Miramax film in their profile, interact with our Miramax page, or like the fan pages of beloved Miramax titles and talent."
The application features a game that lets users cast their friends in the roles from Miramax movies, unlocking bonus content as you play.
As for the streaming service itself, the 30-Facebook credit ($3) rental can last up to 30 days, but once someone starts to watch the film there is a 48-hour window to finish it.
Having been built in just eight weeks, the app is still in a beta version and Lang wrote that the "ultimate goal is to give consumers the opportunity to buy films and store them in their own cloud-based digital locker — to then access the content anywhere they want, across ALL devices. Yes, that’s right — any PC, smartphone, tablet or TV, whether at home, on the go, on vacation, etc."