One wet Sunday afternoon I pulled an old book from the bookcase and settled down to re-read one of my all-time favorite stories. Jaws by Peter Benchley, the story of a holiday resort and its tourists being terrorized by a giant white pointer shark and the efforts by the local fishermen to destroy the creature.
It took me no more than a few hours to enjoy the book, after which my attention turned to the movie. I’d last seen the movie about 5 years earlier and thought that now would be the right time to see it again. So I phoned the local Blockbuster store to see if they had a copy. They hadn’t – wet Sundays always caused a rush on the most popular movies and Jaws was one of them. After phoning around I realized I was going to be out of luck. It was then that I turned to my TV.
I’d been subscribed to my satellite TV provider for about 6 months and I’d have to admit I wasn’t too familiar with the program packages they offered. So I set about rectifying that and seeing what other premium programming packages were available as well as the one I was getting.
After a short while I could see that there was a huge selection of movies available, both new release and the older and most popular family favorites. The new release movies were available through 4 movie packages – HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz – offering a total of 35 channels showing new release movies along with the very best from Hollywood. Some of the packages also show concerts, musical events and shows, as well as a variety of sporting events on a pay per view basis.
But it was access to the TV provider’s huge library of older movies that interested me. A subscriber could arrange to see an older movie at a particular time and date for a very moderate price, much cheaper than the standard video stores. The range of movies available are immense. From westerns, war films, through to sci-fi and everything in between, all tastes are covered and all members of the family will find something of interest.
Ordering pay per view movies is as easy as ABC. There are three ways to order, all of them uncomplicated and straightforward.
Firstly, ordering can be done using the remote control with access via a phone-line to the TV provider. Simply follow the easy to understand instructions on the screen.
Secondly, order via the internet and the TV providers web-site.
Thirdly, ordering can be done by speaking to a sales assistant via phone. This ordering method may involve a small fee.
All fees and charges involved in ordering a pay per view TV program will appear on the subscribers next statement.
The convenience of watching movies from the TV provider’s library cannot be over-stated.
Watch at a date and time that suits the viewer whether that be at a time some people might consider unconventional.
Watch the movie as many times as you want within the first 24 hours.
The library features movies in high definition as well as the standard format.
Ordering a night’s or week-end’s entertainment can be done without leaving home.
Never again will a night’s entertainment be spoiled by hiring a faulty DVD.
The range of movies available is huge – much larger than the average video store.
Such is the popularity of watching older movies from a satellite TV provider’s library of some of the best films ever made that the video stores are feeling the effects of this newer form of competition. As more and more subscribers switch over to a satellite TV provider and take up the convenience of having pay per view movies available when they want to see them, so the competitive pressure on the video stores intensifies. It would seem then that public convenience is the principal arbiter of success in this field.
