Sony Corp. will start a video- and music-streaming service in five European countries this fall to challenge Apple Inc.’s iTunes store.
Qriocity, pronounced “curiosity,” will start in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K., the Tokyo-based company said yesterday. The service will be available via Sony’s Bravia TVs, the PlayStation 3 game console, Blu-ray DVD players and Vaio personal computers.
Qriocity will draw on Sony’s experience with PlayStation Network and its 54 million subscribers, Qriocity to challenge iTunes which has 160 million registered users and the $99 Apple TV set-top box for movie and TV show rentals. Sony’s release was overshadowed by Apple’s same-day debut of social networking for iTunes, multiplayer virtual game rooms and new iPod hardware, saidAmir Anvarzadeh, at BGC Partners Inc. in London.
Apple TV will rent high-definition TV programs for 99 cents, first-run movies for $4.99 and work with Netflix Inc.’s online service, Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said yesterday. To provide the TV rental service, Apple forged deals with Walt Disney Co.’s ABC and News Corp.’s Fox, Jobs said at an event in San Francisco.
Sony’s video-on-demand service has a catalogue of hundreds of film titles from studios such as 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Paramount Pictures, according to a statement. The company didn’t give pricing details.
