Paramount, who have been making movies in Hollywood for over a century now, have started to filter some of their movies onto a YouTube channel for those in America to watch for free. Whether or not they’re planning on extending the service to other areas of the world has yet to be seen, but I’d argue that they’d be stupid not to!
You’re probably asking yourself, “What’s the catch?” Well, the movies can only be watched in a fairly downgrade format of 480p, the same sort of quality as a VHS. While this probably doesn’t seem like that big a deal when it’s in exchange for free movies, there are some who wouldn’t disgrace their HD screens with something as unpleasant as VHS quality video.
The YouTube channel The Paramount Vault is only free to view for Americans at the moment as well, but this is easily overlooked by getting yourself a VPN. This means that the only way to get your hands on this channel outside of America is through illegal means. Not only this but every single one of the films is from a much earlier era, meaning there’s nothing new and exciting. That being said, this is a perfect chance to catch up on old films or even pick through some films you’ve never even heard of in the hope of finding an unknown gem.
It’s likely that this movement towards internet streaming is just Paramount testing what they’re able to do before moving something newer and higher quality to the website. Maybe we’ll see Paramount moving their efforts onto internet streaming. It’s not surprising. Ever since the explosion started by Netflix that has lead to streaming becoming the premium way to enjoy television and movies, everybody has been trying to figure out how to move their business further onto the internet.
How do you feel about this movement towards the internet on the part of the entertainment industry? Do you have a problem with the way it’s going or feel that it’s inevitable as time passes onwards? Let us know in the comments below whether you have any strong opinions on this.
