Facebook's 'Miramax eXperience' Streaming Movie App Launches

Calling it the Miramax eXperience, this joint venture enables video-on-demand from Facebook users using Facebook credits (30 per film, or approximately $3). So how is this different than Warner Brothers, Paramount and Universal (all of whom have previous and similar deals with Facebook)?

Our goal with the Miramax app is to offer consumers a great user experience where they can watch movie clips and feature length films, play games and share the experience with their friends within the Facebook community, reads the Miramax blog. And in doing so, we aim to ultimately build our reach to 150 million+ Facebook friends within the next 18 months.

Clerks, Chicago, Trainspotting and Good Will Hunting are just some of the 20 titles immediately available to Facebook users in the U.S. (Facebookers from the UK or Turkey currently have 10 films available). Quentin Tarantino fans are well cared-for with Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill (both 1 and 2), and even From Dusk 'till Dawn.

One of the basic benefits of a Facebook app is that it's largely independent of the device that is used to access the social network. Limitations in video playback and streaming technology have often hampered efforts to provide a satisfying movie-watching experience to users of different platforms, as Hulu, iTunes, and Netflix users are well aware. The blog assures that the app allows users to view Miramax films on multiple devices, including their PC, iPad or TV (this includes Google TV, for U.S. users). Interestingly, while each movie rental is good for 30 days, there's somewhat more of a rush to finish once you get the film started: 2 days, in fact -- again, exactly the same deal as Warner Bros, Paramount, and Universal. So the question remains: how is the eXperience different? Miramax promises additional features as time goes on, and already there is a social game which allows users to name friends who suit a given film role. The blog emphasizes the work-in-progress method, saying notice the word 'beta'.

Our goal in building this app in just eight short weeks (with the help of Ooyala and AllDigital) is to emulate what Facebook does better than any company in the world — don’t wait for perfection; launch and then iterate, iterate and iterate again, reads the Miramax blog. We encourage you to track our progress and come back to see fresh content, improved user functionality and information on other Miramax initiatives, such as new films or TV shows.

James Lee Phillips is a Senior Writer & Research Analyst for IBG.com. With offices in Dallas, Las Vegas, and New York, & London, IBG is quickly becoming the leading expert in Internet Marketing, Local Search, SEO, Website Development and Reputation Management. More information can be found at www.ibg.com. StephenHicks is the CEO of Southridge which is a diversified financial holding company.