With hardly a whimper, the Vongo movie download site run by the Starz cable channel is shutting down. The pioneer in sending movies across the Internet offered unlimited downloads for $10 a month.
Word is just now getting out that the site quit taking new members nearly two weeks ago. Or as Engadget puts it: "Vongo dies, very few notice."
More sites are going to ad-supported streaming like at Hulu, or pay-as-you-go watching at others like Amazon. I still think the subscription model could work, but only for a massive library at a good price. Paying $10 for access to about 2,500 titles was too much for too little.
Starz acknowledges as much. In a service now offered through Verizon, Starz offers unlimited downloads for $6 a month.
of NY @ Aug 13, 2008 03:18:47 AM