Pathé launches Pathé Home, its streaming movie rental and purchase service. On the program: the latest cinema releases in the best possible quality, without advertising. It remains to be seen whether this economic model will find its audience.
A new player is entering the streaming video-on-demand market. While Max, the HBO platform, is soon arriving in France, and M6 and TF1 have respectively launched their own service, M6+ and TF1+, Pathé is rolling out its VOD store this April 8, called Pathé Home. Please note, this is not a subscription offer, but a platform for purchasing or renting films. And it is not a download but rather a streaming broadcast, without storage or conservation. Among the arguments of the cinema juggernaut, an advertising-free offer with films available a few weeks after their release in the cinema “in the best possible quality (HD, UHD, 4K) as soon as they are released on VOD, and then available without time limit on the platform”. Something to please movie buffs! Afterwards, the offer remains quite classic when compared to its competitors Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Canal+ or even Orange.
Pathé Home: first product and quality to stand out
Pathé Home has a clear advantage over its film rental competitors like Canal+ and Amazon Prime Video, in terms of media chronology. In January 2022, new regulations were signed in France in order to regulate the deadlines for broadcasting films in France. Prime Video and Disney++ must wait 17 months before being able to add the film to their platform, while Netflix must wait 15 months and Canal+ only 6 months after their release in cinemas across the country. Regarding video on demand, rental or purchase, you must wait 4 months. On this, Pathé therefore emerges as the big winner.
The platform offers both great cinema classics and the latest new releases, such as Migration, Simple as Sylvain, Consent, Napoleon, The Marvels Or Wish: Asha and the lucky star. Currently, there are 3,000 feature films available for purchase and rental on Pathé Home, and Pathé is aiming for 6,000 feature films within a year. All movies are available in HD, UHD and 4K. The platform will offer personalized recommendations and promises “fluid and intuitive navigation”. It is available on Samsung and LG connected TVs, via Tizen and WebOS, but also through Chromecast and Airplay, via the pathehome.com site. An application for Android and iOS should arrive in the coming weeks. It remains to be seen whether the prices will be attractive…