Hollywood Reporter
1st September 2006
Icon Arts Alliance seal VOD deal
By Ralf Ludemann
LONDON -- Icon Film Distribution and U.K. media group Arts Alliance Media sealed a video-on-demand deal Thursday to make films available for online download-to-rent.
The VOD deal was announced by Icon Film Distribution president Alex Hamilton and AAM CEO Howard Kiedaisch.
The pact, for an undisclosed amount, gives AAM the right to digitally distribute many of Icon's new and back catalog titles over a three-year period, including "Match Point," "What Women Want," "Starter for Ten" and "The Notorious Bettie Page."
The movies will be available from AAM's download partners, download and DVD rental site LOVEFiLM and AOL.
"VOD opens up a brave new world in independent film distribution and we're very pleased to conclude this deal with Arts Alliance Media which will see Icon films available for VOD download on the LOVEFiLM Web site, which has very quickly established as a key player in the market," Hamilton said in a statement.
LOVEFiLM CEO Simon Calver said: "We're thrilled to bring Icon on board to Europe's largest online VOD service. Icon's range of independent and Hollywood titles makes them a great partner for us and helps extend our leadership in video-on-demand."
AAM has previously signed digital content distribution agreements with Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Universal, Momentum, Tartan and Fremantle, among others.