Free on-demand movies could be latest Craze

How about free kung fu and horror movies on demand without illegal downloading or buying them off that shady lady on the subway? If it gets its way, London-based Craze Digital is coming to America bearing gratis cinema, with loads of titles available on your TV within a few months or so, the company told WalletPop recently.

Viewers would be able to access Craze programming through 32-inch or larger televisions embedded with an on-demand widget that can be clicked directly into the Craze network. Craze told WalletPop that its venture is contingent upon finalizing arrangements with a major widget-portal company that has deals with TV makers such as Samsung, Sony and LG.

We'll have to wait and see, but It sounds promising, given Craze's prominence in YouTube online movie distribution. Craze generates revenue by digital servicing and attaching advertising to the content.

"That's the model that has worked for the last 50 years of television," Sam Kleinman, Craze's managing director, told WalletPop at the recent Cannes Film Festival, where Craze promoted its wares in the Cannes Market (Marche du Film). "You cannot fight piracy. The movie industry will have to offer movies for free with advertising."