Sears to launch video streaming

Hoffman Estates, Ill. Sears Holdings Corp. said Tuesday that it will begin selling on-demand access to movies and TV shows on Sears.com and Kmart.com later this year.

The offering will be branded Alphaline Entertainment and pits Sears against Netflix, Blockbuster, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart Stores and more.

Like Best Buy, which launched its video-streaming service Best Buy CinemaNow in May, Sears is using Sonic Solutions technology to deliver video to consumers’ screens as part of a multi-year agreement.

Sonic Solutions also has a similar agreement with Blockbuster.

Once Sears launches the portal later this year, consumers will be able to stream content on mobile phones, as well as TVs and Blu-ray players with built-in technology for streaming, such as those manufactured by LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, some of which Sears Holdings sells in Sears and Kmart stores.

The entertainment services will offer a variety of regularly updated movies and TV shows for rent or purchase.