Vimeo's on-demand TV store is now available in 150 countries
But you still can't watch 'Mad Men' in Cuba.
Last month Vimeo, STARZ and Lionsgate Entertainment -- makers of such fine prestige TV as Orange is the New Black and Mad Men -- announced a new partnership to put all that programming online with an on-demand pricing scheme. While many of the shows are already available via iTunes, Amazon or Netflix in the US, Vimeo is making a play for international audiences by offering the service in 150 countries around the world.
Also unlike Netflix, Vimeo's TV Store works more like iTunes in that users pay per episode or per season for scripted TV, rather than an all-you-can-eat streaming buffet. For some series, users have the option to stream immediately or download to watch offline later, and users can stream to a web browser or one of Vimeo's TV or mobile apps. Pricing also varies depending on the title, and some of the marquee series are on sale during a launch promotion, but at least for now they appear to be competitive or lower than the same series on Amazon or iTunes. STARZ shows like The Girlfriend Experience or Ash vs. Evil Dead that were also part of the distribution deal haven't hit the service yet, but according to Vimeo those should start showing up in the next few weeks.
One final caveat: some series still aren't available in every region (you can't get Mad Men in Cuba or Japan, for example). Vimeo does helpfully include a Message button that allows you to send a note to the show's creator in the hopes that they'll let you know which streaming services carry that particular show in your region, but it's currently unclear whether Matthew Weiner will write you back on that one.
