PS3 Movie Downloads Due This Summer In U.S.

Reports from Japan state that Sony is planning to begin its movie download service for the PlayStation 3 this summer in the U.S., according to new comments from games unit boss Kazuo Hirai. According to an Associated Press report full details will be released next month (likely at Sony’s pre-E3 media conference) with a similar service for Japan and Europe due to appear sometime after the U.S. Hirai indicated that the company will attempt to strengthen its network services and continue to cut costs in its quest for profitability. In a recent U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) filing the company was revealed to have lost over $3 billion so far on the PlayStation 3. Microsoft already operates a movie and television download service in the West, with partners including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. and MTV. However, it is unclear whether these partnerships will prove to be exclusive to the Xbox 360. Sony’s movie download service for both the PlayStation 3 and PSP was described as coming “really soon” in July of last year. At that time it was posited as a possible “killer application” for the PSP in particular, with the service benefiting from exclusive access to Sony Pictures properties.