CinemaNow, which is backed by Menlo Ventures, Lions Gate Entertainment, Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Blockbuster as investors, launched a new version of its video download service featuring more than 4,000 feature-length films, music concerts and television programs from more than 250 licensors, including 20th Century Fox, ABC News, Disney, Endemol, MGM, Miramax, NBC Universal, Sony, Sundance Channel, Warner Bros. and Lions Gate Entertainment. The new CinemaNow site features upgrades aimed at improving the customer experience.
Key upgrades to the service include:
- Additional content genres with more detailed classifications, including sub-genres, for easier discovery of content
- Expanded TV, News and Music sections including the introduction of Music Videos
- A dedicated area of the site for content for portable media devices
- New "Search" and "Advanced Search" technology for more relevant results and easy filtering
- A new browse tool that filters results by "Content Category", "Format" and "Playback Device"
- A sophisticated recommendation engine that bases suggestions on customer ratings and purchase histories
- An updated check-out process that simplifies renting or buying a video
