Domino's Pizza is getting into the streaming media business.
Thanks to a new partnership with Lionsgate UK, customers in the region can now rent a digital version of “The
Hunger Games” or “Dirty Dancing” with their pepperoni pies.
Dubbed Domino's Pizza “Box Office,” the online service is shooting for a slice of the
increasingly lucrative streaming media market.
Whether the service will come to U.S. shores remains to be seen. “We have no plans for this program in the U.S.,” Tim
McIntyre, vice president, communications at Domino’s Pizza, explained via email on Wednesday.
In recent years, technological advances have made it easier for anyone to enter the
media business. Along with bootstrapped upstarts, traditional media and entertainment companies are facing a real threat from multinational corporations.
Starbucks has been upfront
about its rationale for offering free Wi-Fi in its countless locations — to promote its “Digital Network,” which serves as a walled garden for premium content. No money changes hands
between Starbucks and content providers. Giving away restricted access to their fare is a marketing plus for media companies.
Last spring, Facebook added digital movie rentals to its
repertoire through a distribution partnership with Warner Bros.
Due to increasing competition on all fronts, Netflix this week lowered projections for streaming subscribers.
Netflix, which ended the third quarter with 25.1 million domestic streaming customers, now expects to end the year with 26.4 million to 27.1 million streaming subscribers -- which would still
represent a gain of between 4.7 million and 5.4 million customers year-over-year.
Through its primarily franchised system, Domino's Pizza operates a global network of more than 10,000
Domino's Pizza stores in 73 international markets.