Ticketing platform BookMyShow launches pay-per-view movie streaming service

Online ticket booking platform BookMyShow (BMS) has rolled out BookMyShow Stream - under Transaction Video-on-Demand (TVOD) model - that will offer users a pay-per-view format to either buy or rent movies.

With over 600 movie titles and more than 72,000 hours of content, BookMyShow Stream will feature a curated library of films and content from around the world.

With over 22,000 hours of content being Exclusive to the platform at launch, BookMyShow Stream will feature multiple marquee Premieres every Friday.

It will provide users with the option to rent a movie for a finite duration or buy it for unlimited access. The price points will differ depending on the selection made and would range between Rs 40-700.

"BMS will focus on bringing films under categories such as Premieres, Exclusives, World Cinema, Missed in Theatres, Festival Favourites and dedicated Bundles. These categories have been built on the back of years of rich consumer understanding and data insights on user behaviour and preferences garnered on the platform," BMS Chief Operating Officer (Cinemas) Ashish Saksena said.

Interestingly, BMS had launched global online streaming to allow consumers to access live entertainment shows from their homes after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the movie-going experience.

Through 'BookMyShow Online', the company offers both paid and free performances across music, comedy and other performing arts.

BookMyShow Stream will feature movies like Christopher Nolan's Tenet, Gal Gadot starrer Wonder Woman 1984 and Horror fantasy The Craft: Legacy, allowing cinema lovers an opportunity to catch these movies that they may have missed in theatres.

Films like Alone, Yes God Yes, The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Guilty, Les Miserables, Unhinged and Coma, along with movies from premium Independent studios will also premiere exclusively on BookMyShow Stream.

Saksena said the platform will feature marquee Hollywood content through partnerships with global production giants including Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures.

Apart from global content, the platform will also bring films from major Indian production houses such as Viacom18, Shemaroo and Rajshri Productions along with regional content providers like Divo, Sillymonks and others, he added.

Saksena said 'BookMyShow Stream' is an innovation that is a result of over two decades of deep consumer understanding and robust data insights on user behaviour and preferences.

"The platform will not be replacing the theatre experience but is rather a natural extension of our cinemas business. We respect the existing theatrical windows for content and we will get access to the movie after the theatrical release and before it's made available on platforms that fall under Subscription VOD and Satellite channels," he added.

Developed in-house, BookMyShow Stream will be available for viewing on BookMyShow's mobile app, website as well as Apple TV, Android TV, Firestick, Chromecast and desktop browsers. BookMyShow Stream will also allow users to experience features such as downloads, offline viewing and casting.