Research In Motion (RIM) has revealed new details today about the extent of its music, film and television show content that will be available to BlackBerry 10 users once the new mobile OS launches later this week.
BlackBerry World, formally called BlackBerry App World, will include video downloads and rentals from the following film studios and indies; 20th Century Fox, Entertainment One (eOne), Lionsgate, MGM, National Film Board of Canada, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (US), Starz Digital Media, STUDIOCANAL, The Walt Disney Studios, Universal Pictures (UK), Warner Bros.
In addition, television shows from the following broadcasters and studios will also be available; ABC Studios, BBC Worldwide, CBC/Radio-Canada, CBS, DHX Media, ITV, National Geographic, NBCUniversal (UK), Nelvana, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (US), Starz Digital Media, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Univision Communications Inc, and Warner Bros.
RIM claims that “most” movies will be available to users on the same day that they’re released on DVD and Blu-Ray. TV shows, meanwhile, will have next day availability, although it’s not clear whether this is in relation to DVD or broadcast releases.
At face value, these distributors should cover the majority of the most popular TV shows and movies. There’s still a few notable omissions, such as Home Box Office (HBO), although it’s likely these could either be added shortly after launch, or covered in a separate app. It’s also worth noting that both TV and film rentals will only be available to users in the US, UK and Canada. There’s no word on when the service will be pushed out to other regions.
It was revealed last week that the rebranded BlackBerry World storefront would include not only apps, but films, TV and music too. RIM’s DRM-free music section for digital downloads, the company announced today, will include releases from the following major and independent labels; 4AD Records, Domino Recording Company, finetunes, Matador Records, [PIAS] Entertainment Group, Rough Trade Records, Sony Music Entertainment, The Orchard, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, XL Recordings and Zebralution.
RIM’s music service will be available at 18 countries when the new mobile operating system launches; Canada, USA, UK, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.
The new mobile operating system and BlackBerry 10 devices are being unveiled at a dedicated event later this week, but there’s no word yet on when they’ll go on sale to the public.
RIM has promised that BlackBerry World will have 70,000 apps at launch, as well as a revamped marketplace that offers better content discovery and a section for trending apps. Both apps and media content will play a huge part in the success of the mobile OS, as RIM looks for the same impact that iTunes and the App Store has had for Apple on iOS.
Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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