• by Wayne Friedman , March 10, 2014

Looking to take on Amazon, Netflix and Apple, Comcast Corp. has signed a digital programming agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment for the sale of movies and TV shows through Comcast’s set-top boxes.

Comcast customers can now purchase movies like “American Hustle” and “Captain Phillips” via so-called “electronic sell-through” from Comcast digital’s Xfinity Store, available on cable set-top boxes. Consumers can access titles ahead of the traditional video-on-demand rental window.

Television programming includes the high-profile "House of Cards," which runs on Netflix, which has the exclusive streaming rights to the show, as well as AMC's "Breaking Bad," which ended its TV run last summer.

Analysts believe Comcast’s Xfinity Store is a growing alternative to Amazon, Netflix and Apple’s iTunes. Recently, Warner Bros. also signed on as a partner to Comcast’s Xfinity Store.

Comcast Cable Chief Executive Neil Smit made the announcement on Monday at the Deutsche Bank media conference in Palm Beach, Florida.

The deal prices Sony TV shows at $1.99 to $2.99 per episode, depending on high-definition or standard-definition formats.  Digital sales movies will range from $16.99 to $18.99 a movie.

Comcast consumers can view the content on TV through Comcast’s Xfinity On Demand -- or on digital devices, a desktop/laptop computer from the Xfinity Web site and Xfinity On Demand app for iPhone, iPad and Android-based mobile devices.

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