Starting on Monday, Sony has announced that anyone who purchases an internet-connected Sony TV or Blu-Ray Player will get a free, 720p-resolution viewing of the studio's summer family comedy hit, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Each customer will be allowed to choose a 24-hour window in which the movie will be available to them. The option will be available between December 8th and January 5th, when the film is released on DVD and Blu-Ray. Existing owners of the Sony tech will be able to purchase the same offer for $24.95.

This September, Blockbuster Video announced it would be closing 960 stores before the year's end, and Movie Gallery, which owns Hollywood Video, struggled with bankruptcy in 2007. In a market where movie theaters and brick-and-mortar rental stores are suffering, Sony's move could put another dent in competing business owner's profits. Mark Cuban's HDNet previously tested similar waters by releasing independent films like Steven Soderbergh's Bubble and Hal Hartley's Fay Grim on DVD at the same time they were in theaters and received little response, but Sony is a considerably larger company.

To date, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs has made $121 million in the United States against its $100 million budget, making it the third highest-grossing animated film of the year, behind Disney/Pixar's Up and DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliens.