Hollywood Tries One More Way to Embrace Streaming Without Cannibalizing Legacy Business

Lots of people are hoping that streaming and over the top delivery of professional content will somehow lead not only to more "on demand" access, but somehow lead to lower prices. That might happen, but not if content owners and distributors have success creating "sell through" requirements that link streaming to purchase of legacy products.

The "Ultraviolet" initiative is one more example. Some have dubbed the streaming service the “Giant Media DRM Cloud Coalition Featuring Everyone Except Apple and Disney and Amazon."

The service allows users to buy movies first on DVD or Blu-Ray, providing a code that will let users stream or download the film on other devices, like iPads, Android phones and laptops. Hollywood Hopes "Ultraviolet" Will Save DVDs