The Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday became the latest Hollywood studio to offer movies for sale via the Internet by providing films like recent thriller "Flightplan" to CinemaNow, the online service said. CinemaNow, which is based in Santa Monica, California, said Disney"s home video division, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, will offer movies on a download-to-own basis for PCs and portable devices on the same day they are available on DVD.
Disney"s move follows a similar announcement made in April by rival studios to offer titles for sale via Movielink, which is a joint venture owned by five Disney rivals and a key competitor of CinemaNow. "The main thing is Disney chose us to be first for them to go out with electronic sell-through" on the Internet, said Bruce Eisen, president of CinemaNow. "We take that as a real nice vote of confidence."