Hollywood executive expects streaming movies, TV on Wii this year

Lionsgate's president of digital media, Curt Marvis, believes that streaming movies and TV will be available on the Wii this year. It doesn't really sound like a strong belief, or one that he can back up with any evidence: "I think when we see the Wii come into the market with the ability to stream movies," Marvis told The Cut Scene, "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."

So when, and if, that does happen, Lionsgate is on board. The Cut Scene points out that Marvis does refer to the Wii streaming movies as opposed to downloading them, which suggests that he may be familiar enough with the platform to understand its limitations.

Of course, it is a fact that streaming TV is coming to the Wii, both in the form of Nintendo's own "Wii no Ma Channel," which will provide original content from Nintendo, and Fujisoft's Minna no Theater Wii, whose offerings seem limited to content of Japanese origin, like anime and Ultraman. It's possible Lionsgate could be expecting to make a deal with Fujisoft, or that another service is imminent. Of course, it's also possible that he's guessing there will be a Wii movie service this year because he wants there to be.