Warner Bros to offer movies through Facebook

Warner Bros Digital Distribution said it would make some of its films available on Facebook, opening up a new source of revenue for the Internet social network and marking new competition for online entertainment companies.

Consumers can pay for the movies using Facebook Credits, Warner Bros said. Until now, the virtual currency developed by Facebook has been primarily used in the social games that are popular on the site.

The first movie available on the Warner Bros Entertainment page on Facebook's site is "The Dark Knight," which consumers can rent for 30 Facebook Credits, or $3.

Shares of online rental service Netflix Inc were down 4.4 percent at $198.38 in midday trading.