November 24, 2002: Movies Via the Net

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony, Universal, Paramount and Warner Bros. are competing studios, but the companies set aside their differences to focus on shared goals and fired up a web site to sell movies to the public via the internet.

The site is called “movielink” and offers users (Windows only) a chance to download films in .wmv format for a mere $29.99, or $19.99 on sale. The purchase allows users to watch the movies on up to three computers but does not allow users to watch them on a video player or an iPod. Burning the movie to DVD is strictly forbidden.

The reception to movielink was tepid at best. Users complained of software problems, and long download times but, most loudly, of the expense. The first studio-backed movie download site opened this month in 2002.