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Valve Expands Steam Video Streaming With Lionsgate Deal
The biggest video game portal on the internet is looking to expand beyond games. Today Valve announced a new partnership with Lionsgate to bring more than 100 of the studio's films to the distribution platform for streaming.
Valve has dabbled in movie downloads for some time, featuring films like the Mad Max series. This new streaming deal that brings big franchises like Saw, The Hunger Games, and Twilight takes this effort to a new level. "We're delighted to partner with Steam, a leader in the digital entertainment and gaming space, as part of our commitment to remain at the cutting edge of innovation in delivering content to online audiences around the world," said Lionsgate president of worldwide television & digital distribution Jim Packer in a press release. "With over 125 million users, Steam represents a unique, exciting and disruptive opportunity to expand our global distribution business."
The streaming films are coming to all of Steam's various platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Steam VR. You can find the first batch of available films here.
Our Take
Expanding into video streaming is an aggressive move by Valve, one surely emboldened by its 100-million-plus install base. Given the difficulties Valve already faces in surfacing game content on its limited storefront, we're curious to see how it deals with this secondary market. Will Steam streaming have its own dedicated portal, or will it always live in the shadow of the games?
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