Comcast is expanding the number of movies and TV shows offered through its budding electronic sell-through (EST) service after striking a deal with Warner Bros. Films and Television.
The agreement will allow Comcast to sell titles such as Gravity, 42, Argo, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Great Gatsby via the Xfinity On Demand digital store, a service launched last November that lets customers purchase titles directly via their PC browsers or set-top boxes. In addition to enabling playback of purchases on set-tops and PCs, Comcast also allows playback (but not direct purchases yet) via the "Xfinity On Demand Purchases" app for iOS devices, Android-powered tablets and smartphones.
Under the deal, Comcast will have the ability to sell many Warner Bros. titles "several weeks" before they are released on DVD.
Warner Bros. Films and Television joins a Comcast EST studio roster that also includes Fox, Lionsgate, and corporate cousin NBCUniversal.
