Google has launched its movie-rental service in Australia today, giving Internet users in the country access to thousands of films through Google Play and the YouTube Australia site, according to a new post on the company’s blog.
The service is already active in a number of markets worldwide — most recently France, in addition to North America, the UK and Japan — and new releases are available at $5.99 for standard definition, and $6.99 for high definition (HD). Other titles start at $3.99 for standard and $4.99 for HD.
Smartphone and tablet users can rent films using the Google Play store app and watching them via the Google Play Movies app. Those using a computer can access, rent and watch using Google Play or YouTube Australia.
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The Australian catalogue has titles from a range of movie producers, including The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Village Roadshow Pictures and Lionsgate, as well as from local distributors such as Roadshow Films, Icon Film Distribution, Madman Entertainment, Hopscotch and Transmission Films.
Google says that “most movies” give viewers 30 days to beginning watching them, after payment, and 48 hours to finish, although there are exceptions.
The company says it will be adding “many more recent and classic films over the course of the year” giving Australian Web users more options that save a trip out to the video store – do people still do that, these days?
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