Warner Offers Streaming Movies Through Japanese Wii

Japanese Wii owners will now see their available volume of streamed Hollywood films doubled, thanks to a partnership between Warner Entertainment Japan and software developer Fujisoft. Fujisoft offers a 500 Wii Point ($5) download of Everyone's Theater Wii through the WiiWare download service in Japan, and that application in turn streams a variety of anime, domestic films, and Hollywood productions. While the service has been operational since January, andriasang.com reports that Warner brings 54 new films to the table, with with the promise of more in the future. That initial round eclipses the existing 34 Hollywood films, and comes close to the total 67 Hollywood, Japanese, and Korean features previously available. Until recently, the overwhelming majority of the content had been animated series episodes, of which there are several thousand to stream. Fujisoft's channel is only one of the methods Wii owners will eventually have to stream video content. Nintendo has also announced a deal with Japanese firm Dentsu to offer original video productions through the console. That pay-per-view service has been pegged for a 2009 launch in Japan, with a later release in the West.