Adding to Walmart’s VUDU service, which enables the delivery of entertainment content directly to broadband HD TVs and Blu-ray players, Sonic Solutions announced that Sears has launched its online movie download service, Alphaline Entertainment (http://alphaline.roxionow.com). Sears, like BestBuy’s CinemaNow service, is a RoxioNow platform licensee. The new service enables Sears and Kmart customers to download entertainment online, including new movies on the same day they are released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
Sonic is working with Sears on a multi-phase rollout that includes making the service available from a broad range of connected devices and ensuring compatibility with studio-supported digital programs.
Sonic and Sears are teaming to embed the services at a chip level on a growing network of devices including portable media players, Blu-ray Disc players, mobile phones, and high-definition television sets from leading manufacturers.
“Collaborating with Sonic provides a great opportunity for Sears and Kmart to launch digital services for customers seeking even faster access to the latest in home entertainment experiences,” said Karen Austin, President of Consumer Electronics for Sears and Kmart. “We’ll continue to increase the reach and flexibility of the Alphaline Entertainment service by providing consumers on-demand access to the latest entertainment from a range of home and mobile electronics.”
The RoxioNow platform serves a broad range of premium content, including new movies and next-day TV programs, to a growing, multi-manufacturer ecosystem of home and mobile electronics.
RBR-TVBR observation: Netflix has started a revolution—one that any brick-and-mortar retailer can’t ignore. As DVD entertainment sales shift from the shelves to online, retailers aren’t going to sit back and watch the dollars go with them. They’ve got the easy option to advertise services like VUDU and Alphaline right in the store via POP displays, etc.
