Blinkbox signs deals for free movies scheme

Hollywood studios Paramount, Sony Pictures Television, Universal, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros have teamed up with UK video-on-demand operator Blinkbox to offer a raft of movies available for free.

The company has launched an initiative called fullstreamahead.co.uk and is offering viewers £20 (€24) credit free for one week to watch movies including Sherlock Holmes and Avatar. It hopes to persuade subscribers to avoid illegally downloading movies. The scheme is backed by the UK Film Council and the BFI.