Bravia TV, Blu-ray Owners Get "Cloudy" Rental Exclusive

Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 11/9/2009

San Diego - Sony Electronics said Monday that it is making the recent Sony Pictures hit "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" available to rent exclusively by owners of Sony networked Bravia HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players for four weeks prior to the general retail release.

Effective Monday networked Bravia HDTV or Blu-ray Disc player owners with devices registered between Nov. 9, 2009 and Jan. 4, 2010, will receive a free 24-hour rental of the HD version of the movie (a $24.95 value).

From Dec. 8, 2009 through Jan. 4, 2010, the movie will be offered for rent at a cost of $24.95 on all current networked Bravia HDTVs, including the W5100, Z5100, XBR9 and XBR10 series as well as the new networked Blu-ray player model BDP-N460, Sony said.

Also, customers with previously purchased Bravia HDTVs and Blu-ray players or earlier Bravia models equipped with the Bravia Internet Video Link modules can rent the movie during this exclusive time period, Sony said.

Televisions and Blu-ray Disc players must have a broadband band internet connection to receive the movie.
"Given our breadth of content and strength in networked products, Sony is the first company to utilize its internet enabled TVs and other networked devices to stream feature films directly to consumers' televisions prior to availability on DVD or Blu-ray," stated Hiro Kawano, Sony Electronics Home Division senior VP. "We hope that consumers who own networked Sony Bravia and Blu-ray Disc players take the opportunity to bring family and friends together during the holiday season to enjoy this warmhearted movie."

The initiative will be supported by a special broadcast advertisement featuring "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" animated characters Sam (Anna Ferris) and Flint (Bill Hader). The ad will beginning Nov. 9, 2009.

The movie is a family film that focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain. It has earned more than $170 million in box office receipts to date worldwide and will be available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc at retail beginning Jan. 5, 2010.