Paramount to add 500 films to YouTube rentals

(AP) -- YouTube and Paramount Pictures have reached a deal to make nearly 500 films available to rent online, even while their parent companies continue to feud over a $1 billion lawsuit.

The agreement announced Wednesday makes Paramount the fifth major Hollywood studio to join YouTube's online video store, a growing rental library that typically charges $2 to $4 per viewing. is now the only major studio holdout.

But Paramount seemed less likely to join given that its parent company, ., is still pursuing a 2006 lawsuit that seeks damages for alleged piracy by YouTube, which is owned by . A federal judge in New York ruled in 2010 that YouTube hadn't broken U.S. laws governing , but Viacom is appealing the decision.

The Paramount films will be available on YouTube Rentals and Google Play. Online movies and pay-per-view options have spurred heated competition between Google, Apple Inc.'s iTunes store, Amazon.com Inc.'s website and the subscription video service from .

"Paramount Pictures is one of the biggest movies studios on the planet," said Malik Ducard, director of content partnerships at YouTube. "We're thrilled to bring nearly 500 of their films to movie fans in the U.S. and Canada on YouTube and Google Play."

The deal brings YouTube's collection to nearly 9,000 titles. For most movies, renters have up to 30 days to begin watching a video but must complete the viewing within 24 hours after starting.

Some Paramount films have already been added, while others will be made available in the next few months. Among the films are Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," Michael Bay's "Transformers" and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" trilogy.

NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., the . and many independent studios have made deals to rent their latest releases through YouTube.

©2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Citation: Paramount to add 500 films to YouTube rentals (2012, April 4) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2012-04-paramount-youtube-rentals.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

YouTube expands movie rental service to Canada

0 shares

Feedback to editors