Movies Anywhere App Brings Together 5 Major Hollywood Studios

Today, the idea of merging the various digital movie collections owned by many consumers will become a reality with the expansion of the Disney Movies Anywhere app and website to include almost every major film studio in Hollywood.

Rumored yesterday, and then teased via social media hours later, the revamped Movies Anywhere app is expected to launch "any time," per a representative for the studios, with details officially released just minutes ago.

Fans who have used Disney Movies Anywhere in the past know that Disney's servers allow users to connect to their various digital accounts and to share purchases across various platforms, so that items purchased on Vudu can be viewed in Apple's proprietary media players, on Google Play, or on Amazon's Prime Video app. Before today, the sharing capabilities were limited only to Disney.

Today, Movies Anywhere's expanded launch will feature films from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Film, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

"Movies Anywhere is a massive step forward for the consumer digital media experience, bringing the incredible film libraries of five studios together in a virtual one-stop movie-watching shop," said Karin Gilford, General Manager, Movies Anywhere. "Movies Anywhere means that consumers never have to remember where they purchased a film or which device they can watch it on, because all of their eligible movies will be centralized within their Movies Anywhere library and available across platforms through the Movies Anywhere app and website and also available at their connected digital retailers. And as Movies Anywhere continues to add more studios, retailers and platforms, the entertainment possibilities are endless."

Disney Movies Anywhere launched in 2014 as the first major stab at an exclusive streaming service for Disney. As the company is pursuing that strategy more aggressively than ever, it seems Movies Anywhere remains a big part of Disney's digital future...even if they are now willing to share.

Per the release, "Using the free Movies Anywhere app and website, consumers can access all their eligible movies by connecting their Movies Anywhere account with their participating digital retailer accounts. Movies Anywhere syncs users' libraries across their connected accounts, so consumers can watch their purchased and redeemed digital movies on an array of platforms including Amazon Fire devices; Android devices and Android TV; Apple TV; Chromecast; iPhone, iPad and iPod touch; Roku® devices and popular browsers, with more platforms and retailers to come."

As of this writing, the Movies Anywhere site is still in a holding pattern, featuring an animation and the hashtag #AnywhereIsComing.

Movies Anywhere will initially feature access to a library of over 7,300 digital movies, along with previews and film extras.

In celebration of this exciting new digital entertainment destination, Movies Anywhere is welcoming new users with a limited-time offer to receive up to five digital movies. Fans who activate and connect their account with one of these participating digital retailers — Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes or Vudu — will receive a digital copy of both Sony Pictures' Ghostbusters (2016) and Twentieth Century Fox's Ice Age. Connect with a second participating digital retailer and Disney's Big Hero 6, Universal's Jason Bourne and Warner Bros.' The LEGO Movie will be added to your digital movie collection.