Time Warner Cable tries on-demand movies same day as theater
updated 01:55 pm EDT, Fri October 14, 2011
TWC defies theaters with same-day movies
Time Warner Cable's On Demand movie streaming service claimed a rarity Friday by offering movies the same day as they appeared in theaters. Both Trespass and Marginal Call are arriving on the same day as they appear in theaters, starting today for Trespass and a week later for its equivalent. A third movie, Lars Von Trier's Melancholia, is already available even though it won't be in US theaters until November 11.
Access depends on being an existing TWC subscriber with access to on-demand channels.
The movies aren't blockbusters but are both major and come just as theaters are trying to keep same-day movie rentals out of the home. Universal had tried $60 same-day rentals but withdrew at the last minute after some theater chains threatened to boycott the movie and hurt its core business. TWC, as a company independent of a traditional movie studio, doesn't have to directly worry about such a move.
Theater owners haven't reacted so far but are likely to be frustrated with studios for allowing TWC's deals.
