HMV launches on demand service with FilmFlex

UK retailer HMV has partnered with Sony and Disney enterprise FilmFlex to launch an HMV branded VOD service.

The ‘Hmvon-demand’ site will offer ‘hundreds’ of recent titles from up to 30 distributors including all major studios and UK independents.

Early titles available will include Cars 2, Zookeeper, Rio, X-Men: First Class and Bad Teacher. Forthcoming films include Horrible Bosses on November 28, The Hangover Part 2 on December 12 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on December 5. 

The hmv on-demand service will initially be offered via PC with content available on a rental basis to watch on or offline. Future viewing and storage options will include download-to-own and cloud-based locker services.

The service soft launches today before a hard launch in January and is the latest move in music retailer HMV’s drive to stem a company decline which has seen 30 stores close in recent months. The company announced a 15% drop in sales in September.

FilmFlex operates significant VOD services with Virgin Media as well as Channel 4.

Mark Hodgkinson, HMV marketing & e-commerce director, said: “We’re excited to be working with FilmFlex to launch hmvon-demand and offer our loyal and significant customer base a best-in-class movies-on-demand service. As an entertainment brand built on specialist choice our remit has always been to enable people to discover and enjoy content however and whenever they want. With a growing number of consumers now incorporating video-on-demand into their viewing and purchasing habits, the time is right to include a digital service into our own offer. Partnering with FilmFlex will allow us to extend our brand into new areas and deepen the relationship with our customers.”