Sky UK to Release New Movies at Home and Cinema on Same Day

A decision by Universal Pictures (NBCUniversal) means that, as part of their response to the new Coronavirus (COVID-19), Sky UK (ISP Sky Broadband) will join Comcast in the USA, and a “variety of on-demand services,” to release new films at the same time as they become available in the cinema.

Normally there tends to be a wait of at least 3 months (90 days) before new cinema releases become available on broadband-based video streaming platforms, although there are of course exceptions for those movies that are created or purchased by the streaming companies themselves (e.g. Netflix and ‘The Irishman‘).

Unfortunately the rapidly increasing spread of COVID-19 has caused a dramatic drop in people choosing to visit the cinema and some venues have already closed. Likewise a number of major movie releases have also been delayed (e.g. James Bond) until later in the year.

In response Universal Pictures, which is uniquely positioned as part of the Comcast Corp-owned NBCUniversal (not all such companies could do this), have come up with a different approach. The studio plans to make its movies available at home on the same day as they are released in cinemas “worldwide.”

The new approach will start with DreamWorks Animation film “Trolls World Tour” (due to open in the USA on 10th April 2020). Recently released films including “The Hunt,” “The Invisible Man” and “Emma” will also be available from Sky, Comcast and on a variety of on-demand services. Mind you none of this will come cheap (i.e. $19.99 for a 48-hour rental period), but it’s nevertheless a bold move for the industry.

Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, said:

“Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable.

We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible.”

The plan is to kick all this off “as soon as Friday” (20th March 2020). We understand that Sky UK will shortly be announcing how they will implement the new approach and what it will cost, although at this stage it’s unclear what other UK video streaming platforms might be able to implement it. We will update again once Sky has made their announcement.

UPDATE 2:23pm

Sky have just confirmed that they will partner with NBCUniversal to make a range of movies available to rent at home through their Sky Store, on the same day as the global premieres. This will begin with DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Trolls World Tour’ on 6th April. The other aforementioned movies will also be available from this Friday and priced at £15.99 for a 48-hour rental.