From screen to tube in 30 days?

Chicago - Some US cable television subscribers would have quick access to newly released movies if discussions between major Hollywood studios and one of the country's top cable operators bear fruit, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Executives from Time Warner Cable Inc pitched the concept of "home theater on demand" to Hollywood studios at a cable industry conference last week, the Journal said.

It said some studio executives showed early support for the primary scenario in which cable viewers could watch movies at home just 30 days after their release to theaters, for about $20 to $30 per movie.

It now takes some four months for a theater release to be made available for cable viewing, the Journal said.

Talks are continuing, but sources close to the discussions told the Journal that several studios could sign on as soon as this fall and make quick-release movies available by the end of the year or early next year.

Studios reviewing the proposal include Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros, Walt Disney Co's Disney Studios, General Electric Co's Universal Pictures, Sony Corp's Sony Pictures, Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures and News Corp's Twentieth Century Fox, the Journal said.