Atom joins a growing list of companies offering movies over the Net.
While you won't be piping the latest special-effects blockbuster in through your 56Kbps modem any time soon, analysts say entertainment-oriented Internet media are now worth paying attention to.
"What's happened is that [online movies] have finally reached a minor critical-mass stage," said analyst Jae Kim with Paul Kagan Associates. "With the release of [RealNetworks'] G2 and Microsoft NetShow, the quality has moved beyond the barely tolerable to the passable."
Other sites offering full-length movies, as opposed to just clips, include Ifilm, and broadcast.com, which recently licensed the feature-length movies of Trimark Holdings for online distribution.
Indies, shorts and animations
Ifilm and Atom both focus on showcasing independent films, which is an automatic advantage, since the material can't be found elsewhere.
Atom Films has bought exclusive rights to dozens of short films and animations and each week offers a different selection for viewing.
"We want to get people in the habit of coming back to see what the new movie is," said Atom founder and president Mika Salmi, a former RealNetworks executive.
Atom boasts that two of the films it licensed include major stars (Matthew McConaughey and Neve Campbell) and that another has been nominated for an Oscar, but most feature unknown directors and actors.
Atom models itself after movie distributors, and Salmi dreams the company could ultimately grow into the Miramax of short entertainment.
The company already supplies shorts to airlines, portal site GO Network and cable companies such as HBO, and plans to sell videotape and DVD compilations through a partnership with Hollywood Video's Reel.com.
Build it, and revenue will come
Other possible revenue streams include splicing ads at the beginning and end of the movies, and selling advertising on its own site.
