Google’s Neal Mohan says the search giant is “very proud” of making The Interview available to consumers through video-on-demand on Google Play and YouTube.
The Google vp video and display advertising, during an onstage interview at CES in Las Vegas, said that The Interview‘s record-breaking VOD release, which brought in $15 million in sales over Christmas weekend, is a sign that “consumers are ahead of the curve,” adding that it’s intuitive for consumers to watch a Hollywood film online first because “consumer behavior was already there.”
Google was part of the first wave of distributors, which also included Microsoft’s Xbox Live and SeeTheInterview.com, to make the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy available direct to consumers. The film became available on Dec. 24 and brought in 2 million rentals and downloads in its first four days. According to sources, the majority of the transactions came through Google Play and YouTube.
Sony has since expanded the release to other online platforms, including iTunes and PlayStation Network as well as pay TV providers. The film has now brought in more than $31 million in digital sales, according to Sony.
During his opening remarks, Mohan also spoke about how the advertising business has changed from “a world of scarcity to a world of abundance” and gave his tips for how to make advertising buys in this environment. His address was part of C Space, a new section of the conference meant to bring together executives from across the technology, marketing and online content fields.
