Paramount Downloads To AOL

Paramount Pictures is the latest studio to finally get around to taking advantage of the online boom in downloading video content. They've made a deal with AOL to make their movies available on the corporate giant's Netco video portal according to Variety.

The nice thing is that Paramount will offer a pretty wide range of movies from their catalogue online. You'll be able to download everything from Breakfast at Tiffanys to Nacho Libre... for a fee.

Therein lies the problem. Like everyone else, Paramount is overcharging. Prices will range from $9.99 to $19.99 which is to say anything you'd actually want to watch will cost you $20 bucks. This is the same price model most of the other studios have been pushing for on their various downloading venues. Some companies like iTunes have tried to fight it, but rather unsuccessfully. Sorry Paramount, I'm not paying $19.99 when I can buy it on DVD for the same price, and the real problem is that at that price most people will end up downloading illegally instead.

For Paramount, there's also the added problem that they're distributing their movies through a website much loathed by web-savvy downloaders. There's nothing cool about AOL, it's been a haven for the technologically retarded for more than a decade. Bad news Paramount, most movie downloaders tend to skew towards the more tech savvy side of the surfer community, and they're not touching AOL with a ten-foot pole. Why could you just overprice your movies on iTunes like everyone else?

Josh Tyler