Sky is to open its movie rental service to non-subscribers for the first time, looking to compete more directly with video-on-demand services including Netflix, Amazon’s LoveFilm and Tesco’s Blinkbox.

The pay-TV broadcaster intends to make an initial 1,200 titles, including Man of Steel and The Hangover 3, available via an app on Youview and Roku set-top boxes.

Archive titles such as Top Gun and Austin Powers will also be available on Sky’s own budget £9.99 Now TV set-top box and the skystore.com website for computer, tablet and mobile users.

In a dig at rivals such as LoveFilm, which offers a DVD-by-post service as well as film streaming, Sky Store director Nicola Bamford said: “With Sky Store there are no late fees and no waiting for the post.

The move marks a second significant move by Sky to look to expand customers and revenues beyond its traditional core of pay-TV subscribers.

In January the company launched a £9.99 day pass to offer sports including Premier League football to non-Sky TV subscribers for the first time in its 20-year history.

Sky Store, which charges £3.49 for a new release and up to £1.99 for a classic, has proved to be popular with Sky customers.

source: theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/04/sky-movie-rental-sky-store-netflix-lovefilm