Alwaysi to Launch Subscription Service

Alwaysi (www.alwaysi.com), an online independent entertainment company, announced its intention to launch a paid subscription service for Independent films online. The service, named "Unlimited Cinema", is set for launch in early February, but will be previewed at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah from Jan. 18-22, 2001.

According to Howard Rosenberg, CEO of Alwaysi, the company will be unveiling its program at Sundance and hoping to recruit filmmakers to put their films online by offering a sustainable revenue source. The service will be offered under separate pricing plans for broadband and narrowband users with a free 30-day, no-obligation trial. Pricing for a 12-month subscription will start at $4.99 per month. The company is developing a standard rate for paying filmmakers.

Soon after the launch of "Unlimted Cinema", Alwaysi will be introducing new premium services such as movie recommendations and movie matching services to help people find the films they will like.

When asked whether the market was ready for the subscription model, Hosenberg cited the success of RealNetworks Gold Pass, and recently launched music services from Emusic.com, and MP3.com.

" Without the support of the consumers who love films, online film exhibition will die,'' said Howard Rosenberg, CEO of Alwaysi. "According to the recent 'Paid Content' report by Jupiter Communications, more than four in 10 consumers acknowledge that content can't remain free forever. This increasing receptiveness and the continuing evolution of broadband will drive the paid content market to $5.7 billion by 2005. We're taking a leadership role in our industry in trying to make online film exhibition a viable business.''