BlackBerry gets subscription TV service
updated 05:15 pm EDT, Wed April 1, 2009
Quickplay PrimeTime2Go
RIM and software developer Quickplay Media today revealed details of a new video service specifically tailored towards BlackBerries. PrimeTime2Go will let owners of the Bold and Curve 8900 have subscription-based downloads of major network TV shows, such as The Office, that are cached for offline use on a given handset's memory card. The service depends on Wi-Fi both to avoid bottlenecking carriers and to improve download speeds.
The service will be available through a native app on the just-launched BlackBerry App World and is expected to cost $8 per month. Neither Quickplay nor RIM has said how soon it would be made available.
Adding the service gives BlackBerries one of the few device-native paid video services outside of the iPhone and iPod touch while also underscoring differences between Apple and RIM. The former allows paid video services on its App Store but has often discouraged direct competitors to iTunes and similar features. It has also advocated per-title video downloads instead of a flat subscription model. RIM doesn't run any stores of its own and has specifically encouraged using music services like Pandora and Slacker on its phones.
