Lovefilm Adding ABC TV Show Archive In UK Netflix Fight

In its war with Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX), Amazon’s Lovefilm has licensed U.S. TV shows from ABC (NYSE: DIS) Studios through Disney UK under the “ABC TV On-Demand” VOD brand.

That service will be available for no extra charge to subscribers to Lovefilm’s new £4.99 streaming-only tier, as well its DVD tiers with built-in streaming access.

But, despite being introduced to undercut Netflix by £1 last week, that new package, named Lovefilm Instant, still appears unavailable to be bought via Lovefilm’s homepage.

I could not find the link and only the old DVD tariffs remain available. One user told me: “I had to Google (NSDQ: GOOG) ‘Lovefilm Instant’ and click on a Google Ad to find it.”

It’s not clear why Lovefilm isn’t promoting its new Netflix-beating price and new streaming-only service to its website’s users as it faces stern competition from Netflix

Shows from ABC TV On-Demand include Castle, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Ghost Whisperer. Many of the shows are available as full, multiple seasons, so viewers could watch the entirety of Lost, for example.

The shows will be available only after their first run on UK free or pay TV. Many of the shows’ ‘newest episodes are aired by broadcasters like Chanel 4 and BSkyB.

Lovefilm is not calling the deal “exclusive”. BT Vision added ABC TV On-Demand back in 2010. It’s likely Netflix may also sign it up, too.

  • In the second pay-TV movie window, Lovefilm has exclusive deals with Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX), as well as delas with Entertainment One, Studio Canal (formerly Optimum Releasing), Disney, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and Momentum. In TV, Lovefilm just signed deals to add archive ITV (LSE: ITV) and BBC Worldwide shows.
  • Netflix says it has film and TV from All3Media, BBC Worldwide, CBS (NYSE: CBS), Channel 4’s 4oD, Disney UK & Ireland, ITV, Lionsgate UK, MGM, Miramax, Momentum Pictures, NBCUniversal (NSDQ: CMCSA), Paramount (NYSE: VIA), Sony (NYSE: SNE) Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox (NSDQ: NWS) and Viacom International Media Networks.
  • In the pay-TV movie window, Sky Movies currently has exclusive deals with Hollywood’s six largest studios (Sony, Disney, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros. Universal) for linear and SVOD via subscription.