Sony in Talks for a Week for Online Release of 'The Interview,' Google's Drummond Says

Sony’s decision to release The Interview​ on Christmas Eve for rental or purchase through Google Play, YouTube Movies and Xbox Live came a week after Sony began contacting “a number of companies, including Google, to ask if we’d be able to make their movie, 'The Interview,' available online,” said Google Chief Legal Officer David Drummond Wednesday in a blog post. “We'd had a similar thought and were eager to help -- though given everything that’s happened, the security implications were very much at the front of our minds,” Drummond said. “Of course it was tempting to hope that something else would happen to ensure this movie saw the light of day. But after discussing all the issues, Sony and Google agreed that we could not sit on the sidelines and allow a handful of people to determine the limits of free speech in another country (however silly the content might be)." Xbox Live also is offering the movie for sale and rental, Drummond said. It’s also available through a website Sony set up called seetheinterview.com. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith wrote in a blog post Wednesday that his company made the decision to support Sony after “substantial thought.” Microsoft “decided to stand up with Sony and work with others to ensure that freedom of expression triumphs over cyberterrorism,” Smith wrote. Through Xbox Live, the movie is available to U.S. customers who own an Xbox console, a Windows Phone, or a PC or tablet running Windows 8 or 8.1, Smith said. Sony also is releasing the movie in select theaters nationally on Christmas Day. Sony Entertainment representatives didn't comment on why The Interview isn't being offered online through such Sony vehicles as the PlayStation Store.