 "Target ventures into video-on-demand space")
There’s a new entrant in the digital video rental circle – US-based retail company Target. The company is preparing to launch a video-on-demand service, called Target Ticket, after having conducted months of internal tests.
According to a report by TechCrunch, employees at Target have been told to expect a public launch “soon”. Later reports have pinned the launch date for the service to sometime in “fall 2013”. Target Ticket, in a fashion similar to services in this field – will essentially be offering the option to rent or purchase digital downloads of movies and TV shows to users.
Same old video rental and purchase by a new service (Image credit: TechCrunch)
The service will be colliding head-on with the likes of Walmart’s Vudu, Netflix, Amazon’s Instant Video, and the big-daddy iTunes. Target Ticket is already showing off a catalogue of 15,000 titles that will include classic flicks, new movies and a host of TV shows – recent and past. Movie rentals should be somewhere around $3.99 and $4.99 while purchasing a flick will be about three times more expensive at $14.99. Just like all its competitors, Target Ticket will let you activate a movie rental within 30 days and 48 hours after you’ve hit the play button for the first time. Of course, to avoid the rushed watching of the movie, you could simply purchase it.
Beta versions of Target Ticket’s app on iOS and Android have already been published and the service will let you watch movies and shows on these apps as well. The service is currently available to employees of Target as well as holders of the REDCard, a credit and debit card system affiliated with the store. The roll-out will encompass users across the US initially, so you need not hold your breath, especially if you’re in India. Movie rentals and digital purchases still seem to be a nascent idea in the country fraught with piracy issues. It may be a while before players like Target and Walmart will venture into India with digital downloads. You can still head on to iTunes to satiate your need to digitally rent flicks.
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