Irish Netflix rival in the works

Irish video rental firm Xtra-vision and HMV are reportedly planning to launch a new VoD service in Ireland this summer. 

According to newspaper the Irish Independent, the new VoD service has been under consideration since last year, but is now due to go ahead with movie studio negotiations expected to be complete by early summer.

“We’re going to have video on demand and also an electronic sell-through solution, so people will be able to own content and store it in the cloud. It’s a natural progression for Xtra-vision and HMV. We can offer mass distribution,” Gerry Butler, CEO of Xtra-vision and HMV stores, told the Independent.

Xtra-vision and music retailer HMV in Ireland are both owned by the same parent company, Hilco Capital.