Wii to launch film service?

Nintendo's Wii may follow Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 into the film market.

Entertainment trade publication Variety recently reported that an executive from film studio Lionsgate said the Wii could be equipped to stream movies as early as this year.

"The thing that is clearly a force in digital are the game devices," Curt Marvis, president of digital media for Lionsgate, told Variety. "I think when we see the Wii come into the market with the ability to stream movies, which I think is maybe going to happen as soon as this year, I think that's going to be a big marketplace for digital distribution."

A Nintendo representative said the company doesn't comment on rumour or speculation.

The major film studios are fans of games consoles, because people are used to thinking of the boxes as entertainment devices. The devices are connected to TVs, so they own choice living room real estate.

Marvis didn't say that a Wii movie service was a done deal, but Variety noted that he's in a position to know "what's in the works".