Tech Shout!

Since Monday, Warner Bros. Entertainment has started selling full-length feature films as well as TV shows over the internet via Guba, which is one amongst a group of companies that showcases amateur videos on the web.

Last month Warner Bros. has announced that it had chosen BitTorrent’s technology for file-sharing to distribute films. Guba has been facing competition from other video sharing sites such as YouTube. But now Thomas Mclnerney, CEO of Gubo said that he hopes that the partnership with Warner Bros. will help the company to stand apart from its rivals.

One of the obstacles in forging relationships with Hollywood studios is the protection of copyrighted material. But at some of the top user-generated video sites, which include Guba, users often upload clips from their favorite TV shows or movies. Even though these videos are protected by copyright laws, they still tend to draw a large number of viewers.

“There is clearly demand for professionally made content online but there’s too few legal ways to get it,” McInerney said. “I think right now is the beginning of a trend where you’ll see studios making content available so people can access it.”

Besides the usual offering of films and TV shows, Guba plans to stand out by being a video-sharing website that is also profitable. McInerney said his company, which began as a subscription service and now also generates revenue through ad sales, never had enough money to operate on a deficit. When Guba launched in 1998–online video’s prehistoric period–McInerney remembers spreading the parts from his company’s first computer server on his kitchen floor and building it himself. Back then, the quality of Internet video was poor and streams often froze.

Guba customers can rent a film for $1.79 (Rs.83) per day or pay $9.99 (Rs.463) to own an older title. Newer movies cost $19.99 (Rs.926). All the content is protected by Microsoft-developed digital rights management software, Warner Bros Entertainment and Guba said.