[xbox360]Austin Powers available free on Xbox Live

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6454552.html

Microsoft Xbox Live is partnering with McDonald's and New Line Home Entertainment to offer its first advertiser-sponsored movie, which will be available free to subscribers over two separate one-week periods.

Beginning today, users can download a rental of Austin Powers through the Xbox Live Marketplace. The download will be available through June 28 and again from July 13-19.

Xbox is in talks to do more sponsored downloads as it expands its advertising push on the service, said senior director of media and entertainment Ross Honey. On the game side, T-Mobile is sponsoring free demos of new games, which users can try out before buying.

For the Austin Powers offer, Xbox Live features a McDonald's branded area dubbed BurgerCon, where users can download the film or enter a play and win contest.

Honey said Microsoft sees the sponsorship model as both a way to bring in advertising dollars and get users who haven’t downloaded videos on the service to try it out.

The company didn’t divulge download numbers but said one-third of all Xbox Live users in the U.S. have downloaded a movie through the service. Users access Xbox Live with their Xbox 360 console, which already connects to the TV, an advantage the site has over competitors that are still working on bridges between the PC and the TV.

“From what we have seen, connecting to the TV makes all the difference,” Honey said.

The service offers permanent downloads of TV shows from such partners as Comedy Central and CBS the day after they air. Films from Warner Home Video, Paramount Home Entertainment and Lionsgate are available as a download rental

 

i downloaded the thing fast, plus it lets you 'start the movie' so you can watch it streaming. groovy! i'm luving it!

 

i have no idea.
i'm about the free downloads. i'd like to have a free download of
Above the Rim -with Tupac and Marlon Wayans

you know that movie?

the theme song was off the hook