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MPAA’s ‘Where to Watch’ site is actually really useful

Now this is how you combat piracy.

 

Miles Klee

Streaming

Posted on Nov 13, 2014   Updated on May 30, 2021, 5:21 am CDT

If you’ve read an article about the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the last year, it either concerned their archaic censorship process or their efforts to quash digital piracy—which have, thank god, given us a blanket ban on Google Glass in movie theaters.

The organization’s latest move in the fight to protect intellectual property is equally appealing: Instead of another big lawsuit against a torrent site, it’s Where to Watch, a tool that allows you to search for a film, TV show, actor, or director across multiple (legitimate) content platforms:

We created this website to make things easy for you. We have given you a way to access the creative content you love quickly, simply, legally and in an ad-free environment. Using our search tool, you can connect to your favorite films and television shows as they become available across a variety of different channels. Provide information on where you live, and we’ll provide you with theater times and locations for every newly released movie nearby. Using Where to Watch, you can search for movie availability in stores and Kiosks, as well as on digital downloading and streaming sites. You can watch trailers and find out what is happening behind the scenes with fresh, original content produced every day by our online magazine, The Credits. You also have the ability to set alerts powered by GoWatchIt and receive notifications when the content you are interested in becomes available from your favorite providers.

And it really works! Especially on the price comparison front. Did you know that you could rent The Shining (1980) via Flixster, iTunes, Amazon, Xbox Video, or VUDU for $2.99, but it’s only $1.99 if you rent from Target? Hell, I had never even heard of VUDU. This should really come in handy when Putlocker (and Sockshare, and Vidbull, and Gorillavid, and Promptfile, and all your other favorite illegal streaming services) bite the dust. Happy viewing!    

Photo by imrabi/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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*First Published: Nov 13, 2014, 4:30 pm CST