SnagFilms To Distribute Documentaries On Xbox 360

Online documentary distributor SnagFilms has announced it will begin selling titles from its catalog on the Xbox 360 through the Zune Video Marketplace, as well as expanding a variety of other devices. SnagFilms currently offers free, advertising-supported streaming of over 2,000 of non-fiction films on its web site and through web-based partners. The Xbox 360 distribution deal, however, is an extension of SnagFilms' more recent pay-to-view and pay-to-own download business. A SnagFilms spokesperson told Gamasutra that 70 films will be available on the system initially, and that the catalog will be expanding to 500 titles in the coming months. Pricing will be set by Microsoft and vary by title, according to the spokesman. In addition to the Xbox 360, SnagFilms' download service will also be coming to the Vudu video service, which is available on Sony's PlayStation 3, as well as Samsung smartphones and tablets. SnagFilms' ad-supported movie streaming will be expanding to Android and Blackberry OS platforms, as well as a number of connected TVs. The Zune Video Marketplace currently offers a selection of thousands of TV episodes and movies from producers including CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, A&E, Paramount, Universal, Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox.