US operator Sprint has announced a deal to provide on-demand movies from four studios -- Buena Vista VOD, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures. With a starting library of 45 films, Sprint will provide movies either in their entirety or in chapters, DVD-style, to customers.

The service contrasts with mSpot, Sprint's limited viewing VOD service launched in December last year, which allowed users to pay a monthly fee and watch unlimited videos. Sprint Movies charges between $3.99 and $5.99 for unlimited viewings of a single film during 24 hours.

Sprint's PR offered somewhat weak rationale for the service:

"Sprint Movies allows our customers to be entertained on the one device that they always carry with them and during times when watching a movie at a theater or on a home entertainment system isn't possible," said Alana Muller, director, entertainment product marketing, Sprint. "For example, customers can take their mind off a busy day during a lunch break, breeze through a few minutes while waiting in the parking lot for a child's soccer practice to end, or make a two-hour delay at the airport much more bearable. And with child-friendly titles such as 'Herbie: Fully Loaded' and 'Babe,' Sprint Movies are also great to keep the kids busy in the backseat."