Media streamer Plex's long-delayed plans to launch a marketplace for TV and movie rentals are finally becoming a reality after multiple false starts. The media startup originally announced its plan to expand its streaming service to include rentals just before the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected launch plans along with other technical concerns. Then at CES a year ago, Plex said the rental marketplace was due to launch in the second quarter. But that window was also lost.
Now, the company is confirming a first for Janko Roettgerswho recently broke the news that Plex's movie and TV store will launch next month after chatting with Plex executives at CES.
Plex confirmed to TechCrunch that Roettgers' story is accurate, although it noted that it did not include specific details such as program titles or launch partners. He also said the exact timing of the store's arrival is not yet public. However, the report indicated that Plex had “the majority of studios” on board, with plans to add more over time.
The streaming media software maker has long planned to enter the TVOD (transactional video on demand, also known as rental) market, to supplement its streaming with advertising that now fuels the business's revenue streams. The idea is that the store will allow Plex users to find movies and TV shows to watch on demand, allowing Plex to become a one-stop shop for your media content.
The company admitted last year that delays in its progress on this front were often technical in nature, saying it experienced problems getting DRM working, which resulted in Plex switching providers. It also said getting the studio approved was a delay, as was switching from one third-party partner to another for its AVOD (ad-supported video on demand) service. Progress then stopped again because the team had to address an unrelated technical error that was causing streams to randomly stop on Android TV, Fire TV, and Android mobile platforms.
With those headaches behind it, the rental service is finally about to launch, this time for real, says Plex. We hope to know more about this next month.
In addition to the TVOD store, the report noted that Plex's plans for next year included a redesign and additional social features.
