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Guba, the private San Francisco video site, is making serious headway in signing up Hollywood content and offering it in fresh ways.
Yesterday, for example, Guba announced it had slashed prices for library of hit movies and TV programs, allowing users -- albeit for a "limited time" -- to buy downloadable movies for $9.99 on the same day the movie is released on DVD. Users can buy catalog movie titles for $4.99 and TV shows for 49 cents. Guba swears it is the only company offering discounted pricing right now -- so is undercutting other places like Movielink and CinemaNow. Guba is offering rental options as well.
It's too early to see how Guba will do, with existing players likely to respond, and new giants (Apple, Amazon, etc) in the process of entering. But 33-year-old Tom McInerney is not wasting time. We will commend him on his Porsche again, if this is what makes him go so fast. Of course, a new player like Guba will need a little publicity boost to get ahead -- so we'll have to see what "limited time" means, and whether it can make money off these lower prices.
And it's not one of these rip-off deals, where the library is bare. Over the past couple of months, Guba has signed with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Sony to deliver their content.