Warner Streams Old Vids to Niche Auds

Warner Bros. has fashioned its own Netflix-style Internet streaming service for hard-to-find pics and TV shows, betting a small but rabid fan base will pay for the eclectic mix of cult classics.

Studio believes it will pull in more coin with consumer-facing service than it would get via licensing deals from likes of Netflix or Amazon.com for the less-popular library material.

The WB Archive Instant service provides subs access to around 100 titles per month, pulled from the vaults of Warner, MGM, RKO, Allied Artists, New Line, Monogram, Lorimar and others.

Vids can be watched on Roku’s broadband-connected set-tops, PCs and Macs. It’s $9.99 monthly — two bucks more than Netflix’s service.

In 2009, WB launched the Warner Archive Collection, a DVD-on-demand storefront for classic movies. Major created streaming service in-house after customers requested a way to get instant access to such content.

Fare on WB Archive Instant service, which studio soft-launched last week, currently includes seasons 2-6 of “77 Sunset Strip,” “The Bad Seed (1956),” “Tarzan and the Amazons,” “Adventures of Superman” season 1 from 1952 (starring George Reeves), “Bataan” and WWII espionage skein “Jericho.”

The service uses Microsoft’s Silverlight streaming media platform for video playback.

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