"We have launched Movies on Google Play (play.google.com/movies) and a brand new Movies page on YouTube for Australia (youtube.com.au/movies), where you can rent thousands of films from both Hollywood and local Aussie studios," said Google's Felicity Mcvay in a statement.
In addition to making selections on the YouTube and Google Play websites, customers can also rent and watch movies on their handheld Android devices using the Google Play Movies app. Movies can be downloaded to the device so they’re available for viewing during the rental period without an internet connection.
Currently, the service offers movies from Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, Village Roadshow Pictures and Lionsgate, alongside local Australian distributors including Roadshow Films, Madman Entertainment and Hopscotch.
Pricing falls roughly in line with other movie rental services in Australia, with new releases available at $5.99 and $6.99 for standard definition and HD, respectively. Older 'library' movies at $3.99 for standard definition and $4.99 for high definition.
Viewers will be given 30 days to begin watching their rental, with 48 hours to finish once they click play.
