Bye Bye MovieBeam

The Walt Disney Co. has pulled the plug, at least for now, on its MovieBeam service, an over-the-air video-on-demand service that used traditional broadcast-TV spectrum to deliver pay-per-view movies to set-top boxes.

The service, which had been available in Salt Lake City; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Spokane, Wash., since September 2003, will take a break and be revamped, said a Disney spokesman.

“We’re planning an upgrade to the technology, network and infrastructure…and we’re having discussions regarding platform and rollout strategy with several potential partners,” he said.

"Once those conversations are concluded, the next phase of the service, which could include delivery of HDTV content, will take place," he added. No timetable on that re-rollout.