By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-03-10 22:21:53 | Word Count: 664
Just when I think that they couldn’t possibly have something else brewing. Just when I began feeling like they had finally tapped their resources and developments would begin to slow down, Facebook has done it yet again. I think I’d be a lot better off if I got on the internet expecting to see an update from Facebook everyday as oppose to not expecting one at all. The surprised expression every time I see an update is really starting to get old.
What do we have here now? Movies. Apparently, it is breaking news, hot off the press (according to The Hollywood Reporter) that Warner Bros. has started delivering movies through Facebook enabling users to now rent titles for $3. If you know anything about me by now you probably know that I generally have a great distaste for Facebook updates. Most of these updates are pointless and tend to implement new ways of doing things that are annoying and even a little confusing. Not this though, this is different. This is, dare I say it, COOL!
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Warner Bros will begin this venture by offering The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s Batman mega-hit on Facebook through its official Facebook page. Note: this was all too radical to me so upon learning of Warner Bros new project I immediately logged on to Facebook, went to Warner Bros Facebook account (there are many) and I waited to be amazed. Well I would’ve been waiting there forever had I not noticed that it’s not the Warner Bros page that’s offering the movie; it’s the actual Dark Knight fanpage and there is nothing on the Warner Bros page to clarify that. Try not to make the same mistake. Anywho, I find the right page and there it is: the new “watch” button listed in the tabs to the left.
The movie can be rented for 30 Facebook credits or $3 for a 48-hour viewing period and is only available in the US. Facebook would continue to function normally during the time of viewing. According to Thomas Gewecke, president of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, “Facebook has become a daily destination for hundreds of millions of people. Making our films available through Facebook is a natural extension of our digital distribution efforts. It gives consumers a simple, convenient way to access and enjoy our films through the world’s largest social network.”
The Dark Knight on Facebook will be a test. Additional titles are said to follow in the upcoming months. If it all goes well (and I’m predicting that it will) Facebook could potentially compete with Netflix, Hulu and other online video service companies. This may be the most vital moves Facebook has made in a long time. If Mark Zuckerberg can continue to join forces with the big wigs to make things of this magnitude possibly he will keep Facebook on the cutting edge of greatness.
I’m going to stand by and measure the success of this. If the 3,937,549 likes on The Dark Knight Facebook page is any indication of the number of people that may be interested in viewing this movie via Facebook then I’d say this is off to a pretty good start. Let’s watch what happens.
