Warner Bros to offer movie rentals on Facebook

Warner Bros has announced that Facebook users in the US will be able to watch The Dark Knight via the social networking site.

Christopher Nolan's bat-blockbuster is the first film being offered on the scheme, as the studio starts testing the new system to rent and buy movies.

Fans of The Dark Knight in the US will be able to watch the movie for $3, or 30 Facebook credits. Facebook credits are already used to pay for various apps and games on the site.

Warner Bros have said that users will have "full control over the film while watching it through their Facebook account... They can choose to watch it in full screen, pause the movie, and resume playing it when they log back into Facebook."

"Consumers will also have full Facebook functionality including the ability to post comments on the movie, interact with friends and update their status."

Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros Digital Distribution said in a statement: "Facebook has become a daily destination for hundreds of millions of people... Making our films available through Facebook is a natural extension of our digital distribution efforts."

"It gives consumers a simple, convenient way to access and enjoy our films through the world’s largest social network.”

It'll be interesting to see if this approach to renting takes off, as Facebook certainly has the muscle to make a big impact in the rental market.

The Dark Knight and Inception are already available to download as 'app' versions via iTunes.