Movies Anywhere – What Took So Long?????

A few weeks ago, the major movie studios announced that they would be cooperating on the new Movies Anywhere service – basically, a rebranding of Disney Movies Anywhere service.  For those unfamiliar, Disney Movies Anywhere was proof that Disney was the only smart movie studio when it comes to digital copies.  Disney said, “Gee, people want our movies.  Why don’t we let them have them everywhere.”  Accordingly, when someone would buy a Disney digital movie, it showed up in multiple different VOD services – I can recall specifically seeing them show up on iTunes, Ultraviolet, Verizon Fios, and Amazon Instant Video.  You could simply link your accounts through Disney Movies Anywhere, and they showed up.  Awesome, right?

Other studios were stupid.

When one would buy a blu-ray disc with Digital Copy, it remained unclear until opening sometimes whether it was an iTunes or an Ultraviolet copy, as those were the two main competing platforms.  The occasional film would include both.  Some would have packaging that would say expressly.  I remember getting into a pissy exchange with Fox’s digital support team because their super cheap blu-ray pack for the whole Die Hard series specifically referenced iTunes on the box, but the included cop was onlyUltraviolet.  For someone like me, who bought into the AppleTV platform as my primary streaming device, it was confusing and infuriating to have my collection bifurcated, especially in the days of the AppleTV3 that didn’t have apps for Vudu.  It was iTunes, or it was nothing else.

Other studios got tired of their customers’ bitching, I guess.

Well, at least Warner Bros., Sony, and Paramount did.  They announced they’d be launching a new “Movies Anywhere” service with Disney essentially using Disney’s platform.  Either I don’t follow the news closely, or they did it all very hush-hush.  Announcing it on a Thursday and going live on a Friday.   After a few hours of hiccups, particularly with integrating Ultraviolet to the other platforms, the system went live, and it’s been fantastic.  From what I can tell, it appears to integrate with iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, and Google Play.  I’ve never used Google Play, so I can’t comment on that one.

My “Movies” section in AppleTV almost doubled, with all sorts of movies that were trapped in the fragmented Ultraviolet platform now present and accounted for in the new system.  Live, Die, Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Equalizer, and yes, the aforementioned Die Hard series appeared (though to be honest, I’ll watch 1 and 3 only). Also, since we bought a Roku TV for the new Southern Frontier in Charlotte, I can pull up the same movies in the Vudu app when I’m down there and watch whatever my little, black heart desires.

The system isn’t perfect yet.  Other studios like Lionsgate have yet to integrate, but I continue to hope that they’ll come on board. Similarly, it would be really nice if we could get something similar for TV series, but I think the licensing issues might be a little tougher to navigate.  Then again, maybe not?

This should have happened long ago.

So far, it seems to actually foster competition instead of hurting it.  If Vudu or Amazon is having a sale, well, then, customers aren’t left to stew angrily as to why iTunes isn’t. iTunes also appears to upgrade the HD movies from one service to 4k (where available) with its own.  The best part is, when I went to buy my blu-ray of Spider-Man: Homecoming, I knew that the digital copy would show up wherever I wanted to watch it. Avoiding the uncertainty from the old system is awesome, and it didn’t cost the consumer a dime.

She Says: If he is happy I am happy. I never really had to think about where the movies were stored because it would be a rare cold, gray day that I would even consider looking for movies myself.