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Cable Technology Feature Article

December 28, 2010

Sears, Kmart Partner with Sonic Solutions for Movie Service

By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor


Sonic Solutions has started a service with Sears and Kmart for movies and TV show downloads using the RoxioNow platform. The online download service is through Alphaline Entertainment.

The service lets Sears and Kmart customers download movies as soon as they are released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The service will be available on diverse devices.

"Collaborating with Sonic provides a great opportunity for Sears and Kmart to launch digital services for customers seeking even faster access to the latest in home entertainment experiences," said Karen Austin, president of Consumer Electronics for Sears and Kmart. "We'll continue to increase the reach and flexibility of the Alphaline Entertainment service by providing consumers on-demand access to the latest entertainment from a range of home and mobile electronics."

"The Sears launch represents an important milestone for Sonic, with another RoxioNow-powered storefront now open for business," added Mark Ely, president of Strategy for Sonic Solutions. "We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Sears and bringing Alphaline Entertainment to consumers through a broad range of connected devices."

Sonic brands include Roxio (News - Alert), RoxioNow, DivX and MainConcept.

Sonic and Sears are also collaborating to embed the services on a chip for different devices “including portable media players, Blu-ray Disc players, mobile phones, and high-definition television sets from leading manufacturers,” the company said in a press release.

Sonic – for over 20 years – has served hundreds of millions of customers, and powered home entertainment and digital media. Sonic platforms provide solutions for movie studios, retail operations, electronics manufacturers, and original equipment manufacturers, the company said.

TMCnet reported earlier this year that Sonic has similar agreements with Blockbuster and Best Buy (News - Alert). Sears has licensed Sonic to use the RoxioNow platform to sell digital entertainment under the Sears and Kmart names, according to TMCnet. Users can access content on televisions, Blu-ray players and mobile phones, said TMCnet.

Sonic Solutions has its headquarters in Marin County, Calif.


Ed Silverstein is a TMCnet contributor. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Tammy Wolf