Broadcast.com Buys Into Trimark

Webcaster Broadcast.com has purchased a $4 million stake in Trimark. As part of the deal, Broadcast.com has the rights to stream 50 of Trimarkís titles over the Internet.No doubt, this is an indication of what is to come with studios licensing streaming rights to their titles to Internet Webcasters, or providing the service themselves.Another Webcaster, Sightsound.com, as previously reported, recently acquired Internet rights to Artisan Entertainmentís ""Pi,"" the first straight licensing deal between a producer and an Internet distributor. Sightsound.com and other Internet firms such as Global Media Inc. and Real Networks sent delegations to the Cannes Film Festival in France this year to seek additional licenses.While presently, streaming video is of extremely poor quality and is a frustrating experience when viewed even on small computer screens, the technology is moving fast to enable one day the delivery of high-quality images to TV screens. The key to success in such ventures will be consumer access to high-speed, broadband Internet service. The maneuvering among vested-interest cable-delivered interests, telephone companies, and Internet powerhouses will be intense and will cost millions, if not billions, to gain control over broadband Internet access.