CinemaNow Lands Fox VOD Deal

Fox Entertainment Group cut a broad deal with Internet-video distributor CinemaNow Inc. (www.cinemanow.com) to sell movies and TV shows ranging from 24 to programs from FX and Speed Channel to Web surfers.

The deal is noteworthy since Fox -- which also sells shows on Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com) -- doesn’t have deals to sell broadcast- or cable-network programming through any cable video-on-demand platforms.

Fox corporate sister DirecTV Inc. did announce a deal in January to sell digital-video-recorder downloads of FX hits such as The Shield and Rescue Me for $2.99 apiece before they premiere on TV.

CinemaNow subscribers will be able to buy 20th Century Fox movie releases for prices ranging from $9.95-$19.95. TV shows will go for $1.99 per episode -- the same price Apple charges.