Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution are offering Apple users pay-per-view streaming movies.

The studios partnered with mobile entertainment provider mSpot Inc.’s new, free mSpot Movies application, which delivers full-length streaming movies such as “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Blind Side” and “The Princess and the Frog” to iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users through the App Store. There are dedicated versions for the iPhone and iPad.

“Our customers want popular new releases, so it was important for us to negotiate streaming rights directly with key studios and distributors, giving us access to major hits, new releases and all-time favorites alike,” said Aline Yu, vice president of marketing at mSpot, Palo Alto, CA.

“Movies are enjoyed by consumers of all ages and backgrounds,” she said. “By working across these different devices, we are able to reach from the younger consumers who may have an iPod touch to moms with iPhones and early-adopters who have iPads.”

Mobile movies
To access mSpot Movies, consumers can download the application from the App Store, then rent and stream individual movies ranging from $2.99 to $3.99.

Users can browse through the titles on their mobile devices, access movies, playing and pausing as they like, leveraging resume and chapter features, with the choice of also watching movies on the computer with their complementary Web account at http://www.mspotmovies.com.

To make in-application purchases of streaming movies, users enter a credit/debit card number.

The mSpot application is monetized based on a revenue-sharing model with the film studios.

To ensure the best viewing experience possible, the application automatically detects each user’s network coverage and adjusts the quality of the video, whether 3G or WiFi.

The mobile service is complemented by http://www.mSpotMovies.com, which provides an experience for users wishing to start movies on a PC or Mac, and resume watching on another device.

MSpot’s full-length streaming movie service works across the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and PC and Mac, making mSpot Movies the only way you can enjoy streamed movies across all devices, without any downloading or syncing needed.

MSpot Movies is also available via a mobile Web site at http://www.mspotmovies.com.

“To get the word out about mSpot Movies, we will focus on PR and social media,” Ms. Yu said.

Final take
Dan Butcher, Mobile Commerce Daily