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The top news and charts for week ending December 7, 2007 .
Analysts: High-def formats will remain at parity High-def player sales still just 10% of standard DVD Videogames trumping DVDs in Q4 |
"LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD" leads Top DVD Renters Chart "SHREK THE THIRD" leads Top DVD Sellers Chart "TRANSFORMERS" leads Top HD DVD Sellers Chart "LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD" leads Top Blu-ray Sellers Chart |
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SWEETING: OPINION: Seeking copyright parity |
Videogames trumping DVDs in Q4
DEC. 7 | As the last of the $300 million-grossing films streeted on DVD on Dec. 4 with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, retailers and wholesalers are mostly buzzing about the wild success of this year’s videogame titles.
Full Story
Sony's Resident Evil offers downloadable file to Wal-Mart shoppers
DEC. 7 | Sony will offer an exclusive two-disc version of Resident Evil: Extinction at Wal-Mart that is embedded with a digital file that consumers can copy to their PC or PlayStation Portable.
Full Story
Movie Gallery closing MovieBeam
DEC. 7 | Movie Gallery confirmed it will close its MovieBeam set-top box download service on Dec. 15.
Full Story
Netflix’s return envelopes in a jam
DEC. 5 | A recent audit by the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service has determined that Netflix return envelopes jam automatic sorters, costing the agency millions of dollars in manual labor costs and could result in a 17¢ surcharge per envelope for the company.
Full Story
Analysts: High-def formats will remain at parity
DEC. 4 | LOS ANGELES—Despite overwhelming Blu-ray hardware dominance, software for the two high-definition formats will be selling nearly equally for several years, according to sister companies Screen Media Digest and Adams Media Research.
Full Story
Par, Uni tout high usage of HD DVD Web features
DEC. 4 | Paramount Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment are touting high usage of the Web-enabled features embedded in their HD DVD titles, including Transformers and Heroes: Season One.
Full Story
Blu-ray players reach 2.7 million units sold
DEC. 3 | The Blu-ray Disc Assn. is touting a new milestone passed over the Black Friday shopping period, noting that player sales since launch reached 2.7 million units through Nov. 24.
Full Story
Netflix donates to hunger awareness campaign
DEC. 3 | Netflix has joined in a hunger awareness campaign to support America's Second Harvest food banks over the holiday season.
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Netflix launches gift cards in stores
NOV. 30 | Netflix will be offering gift cards for the first time this holiday season.Retailers signed up to sell the cards, which offer either one-month or three-month Netflix subscriptions, include Office Depot, Winn-Dixie and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. Additional storefronts should be added in 2008.
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OPINION: Seeking copyright parity
DEC. 7 | The massive intellectual property bill introduced this week by the bi-partisan leadership of the House Judiciary Committee is a marked departure from previous IP legislation.
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Acorn to distribute Fanny Hill in 2008
DEC. 7 | Acorn Media Group has signed on to distribute Fanny Hill on DVD in North America in 2008.
Full Story
Sony's Resident Evil offers downloadable file to Wal-Mart shoppers
DEC. 7 | Sony will offer an exclusive two-disc version of Resident Evil: Extinction at Wal-Mart that is embedded with a digital file that consumers can copy to their PC or PlayStation Portable.
Full Story
Lionsgate exclusive distributor for Bratz DVDs
DEC. 5 | Lionsgate and MGA Entertainment strengthened their distribution partnership for the 6-year-old Bratz franchise, which has grown from a product line of fashion dolls to an array of children's products, music albums and theatrical and home video titles.
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Lionsgate, Sony to bow first BD-Live titles in January
DEC. 5 | LOS ANGELES—Lionsgate and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will bring out the first Web-enabled Blu-ray Disc titles in January, even though hardware that can fully playback BD-Live interactivity has not yet been confirmed.
Full Story
Fox, Disney buy faith, family Web sites
DEC. 5 : FROM VARIETY: Fox Entertainment Group has purchased Beliefnet, while Walt Disney Internet Group has picked up iParenting Media, as the companies look to bolster their faith-based and family operations, respectively, online.
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Analysts: High-def formats will remain at parity
DEC. 4 | LOS ANGELES—Despite overwhelming Blu-ray hardware dominance, software for the two high-definition formats will be selling nearly equally for several years, according to sister companies Screen Media Digest and Adams Media Research.
Full Story
Par, Uni tout high usage of HD DVD Web features
DEC. 4 | Paramount Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment are touting high usage of the Web-enabled features embedded in their HD DVD titles, including Transformers and Heroes: Season One.
Full Story
Studio classics in need of facelifts
DEC. 4 | FROM VARIETY: In Cannes this year, Martin Scorsese talked about the importance of preserving such films as Ahmed El Maanouni’s 1981 Moroccan music documentary. But he didn’t mention that his own Taxi Driver is deteriorating. Although the 1976 film is part of Sony’s vast library, few are rallying to its aid.
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Hastings, Beeks, O'Brien inducted into Video Hall of Fame
DEC. 4 | BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Doused with humor and sentimentality, the 27th annual gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel here honored innovators of the home entertainment industry: Lionsgate president and co-chief operating officer Steve Beeks; Reed Hastings, founder, chairman and CEO of Netflix; and Video Business co-founder Bill O’Brien, who started the Video Hall of Fame nearly three decades ago. Hastings (pictured r.) was inducted by Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes (l.).
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Zucker: We’ll be doing the Hulu in 2008
DEC. 4 | FROM MULTICHANNEL NEWS: NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker said that his company’s joint online video venture with News Corp. – dubbed Hulu – is expected to go live next year, adding that the decision to create its own online video outlet – and to cancel a deal for NBCU videos on Apple’s iTunes service – was driven by simple economics.
Full Story
Writers bring counteroffer to talks
DEC. 4 | FROM VARIETY: Talks resume today after a four-day respite, and both writers and the AMPTP are anxious -- but few are optimistic.
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Starz, Brookstone join for Vongo promotion
DEC. 3 | Starz Entertainment and Brookstone are teaming up on a co-promotion in which the gadget mall chain’s Web and catalog customers will score a free 30-day trial to online film service Vongo with purchase of $100 or more.
Full Story
VCI donates Christmas Carol DVDs to troops
DEC. 3 | Tulsa,Okla.-based VCI Entertainment donated 200 copies of A Christmas Carol on DVD to the Blue Star Mothers of Oklahoma for the troops.
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Analyst Greenfield says News Corp. close to iTunes deal
DEC. 3 | News Corp. and Apple's iTunes are close to selling the company's movies on the online store early next year, according to an analyst that follows Apple.
Full Story
Box office remains Enchanted
DEC. 3 | VARIETY'S BOX OFFICE REPORT: Disney's Enchanted was princess of the domestic box office for the second weekend in a row, bringing its cume to $70.6 million in its first 12 days of release and putting the pic on track to be a lucrative holiday favorite for the Mouse House.
Full Story
High-def player sales still just 10% of standard DVD
DEC. 7 | High-def hardware achieved huge Black Friday gains, but still lags behind the sales pace of standard-definition DVD players.
Full Story
Lionsgate, Sony to bow first BD-Live titles in January
DEC. 5 | LOS ANGELES—Lionsgate and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will bring out the first Web-enabled Blu-ray Disc titles in January, even though hardware that can fully playback BD-Live interactivity has not yet been confirmed.
Full Story
Analysts: High-def formats will remain at parity
DEC. 4 | LOS ANGELES—Despite overwhelming Blu-ray hardware dominance, software for the two high-definition formats will be selling nearly equally for several years, according to sister companies Screen Media Digest and Adams Media Research.
Full Story
Par, Uni tout high usage of HD DVD Web features
DEC. 4 | Paramount Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment are touting high usage of the Web-enabled features embedded in their HD DVD titles, including Transformers and Heroes: Season One.
Full Story
Blu-ray players reach 2.7 million units sold
DEC. 3 | The Blu-ray Disc Assn. is touting a new milestone passed over the Black Friday shopping period, noting that player sales since launch reached 2.7 million units through Nov. 24.
Full Story
Videogames trumping DVDs in Q4
DEC. 7 | As the last of the $300 million-grossing films streeted on DVD on Dec. 4 with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, retailers and wholesalers are mostly buzzing about the wild success of this year’s videogame titles.
Full Story
Europe gets Xbox movie downloads
DEC. 5 | FROM VARIETY: European Xbox 360 console users will be able to download to rent feature films in Britain, Ireland, France and Germany from Dec. 11.
Full Story
Analysts: High-def formats will remain at parity
DEC. 4 | LOS ANGELES—Despite overwhelming Blu-ray hardware dominance, software for the two high-definition formats will be selling nearly equally for several years, according to sister companies Screen Media Digest and Adams Media Research.
Full Story
Videogame sequels hit geek peak
DEC. 4 | FROM VARIETY: A summer full of sequels (Spider-Man, Shrek, Pirates, et al.) helped propel the film biz to a tidy 5% jump in revenue so far this year. That’s not bad, but it’s nothing compared to the 49% revenue growth for the videogame biz, which has soared to $10.5 billion as of October.
Full Story
Blu-ray players reach 2.7 million units sold
DEC. 3 | The Blu-ray Disc Assn. is touting a new milestone passed over the Black Friday shopping period, noting that player sales since launch reached 2.7 million units through Nov. 24.
Full Story
Activision, Vivendi Games merge
DEC. 3 | FROM VARIETY: The makers of Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft are joining forces to create the world's biggest videogame publisher.
Full Story
Sony's Resident Evil offers downloadable file to Wal-Mart shoppers
DEC. 7 | Sony will offer an exclusive two-disc version of Resident Evil: Extinction at Wal-Mart that is embedded with a digital file that consumers can copy to their PC or PlayStation Portable.
Full Story
Movie Gallery closing MovieBeam
DEC. 7 | Movie Gallery confirmed it will close its MovieBeam set-top box download service on Dec. 15.
Full Story
Europe gets Xbox movie downloads
DEC. 5 | FROM VARIETY: European Xbox 360 console users will be able to download to rent feature films in Britain, Ireland, France and Germany from Dec. 11.
Full Story
Analysts: High-def formats will remain at parity
DEC. 4 | LOS ANGELES—Despite overwhelming Blu-ray hardware dominance, software for the two high-definition formats will be selling nearly equally for several years, according to sister companies Screen Media Digest and Adams Media Research.
Full Story
Zucker: We’ll be doing the Hulu in 2008
DEC. 4 | FROM MULTICHANNEL NEWS: NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker said that his company’s joint online video venture with News Corp. – dubbed Hulu – is expected to go live next year, adding that the decision to create its own online video outlet – and to cancel a deal for NBCU videos on Apple’s iTunes service – was driven by simple economics.
Full Story
Starz, Brookstone join for Vongo promotion
DEC. 3 | Starz Entertainment and Brookstone are teaming up on a co-promotion in which the gadget mall chain’s Web and catalog customers will score a free 30-day trial to online film service Vongo with purchase of $100 or more.
Full Story
Analyst Greenfield says News Corp. close to iTunes deal
DEC. 3 | News Corp. and Apple's iTunes are close to selling the company's movies on the online store early next year, according to an analyst that follows Apple.
Full Story
High-def player sales still just 10% of standard DVD
DEC. 7 | High-def hardware achieved huge Black Friday gains, but still lags behind the sales pace of standard-definition DVD players.
Full Story
Videogames trumping DVDs in Q4
DEC. 7 | As the last of the $300 million-grossing films streeted on DVD on Dec. 4 with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, retailers and wholesalers are mostly buzzing about the wild success of this year’s videogame titles.
Full Story
Acorn to distribute Fanny Hill in 2008
DEC. 7 | Acorn Media Group has signed on to distribute Fanny Hill on DVD in North America in 2008.
Full Story
Sony's Resident Evil offers downloadable file to Wal-Mart shoppers
DEC. 7 | Sony will offer an exclusive two-disc version of Resident Evil: Extinction at Wal-Mart that is embedded with a digital file that consumers can copy to their PC or PlayStation Portable.
Full Story
Consumer electronics growth slows
DEC. 5 | Black Friday consumer electronics sales continue to grow but at a slowing rate, according to NPD Group research. DVD players once again were not in the top five.
Full Story
Netflix’s return envelopes in a jam
DEC. 5 | A recent audit by the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service has determined that Netflix return envelopes jam automatic sorters, costing the agency millions of dollars in manual labor costs and could result in a 17¢ surcharge per envelope for the company.
Full Story
Analysts: High-def formats will remain at parity
DEC. 4 | LOS ANGELES—Despite overwhelming Blu-ray hardware dominance, software for the two high-definition formats will be selling nearly equally for several years, according to sister companies Screen Media Digest and Adams Media Research.
Full Story
Par, Uni tout high usage of HD DVD Web features
DEC. 4 | Paramount Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment are touting high usage of the Web-enabled features embedded in their HD DVD titles, including Transformers and Heroes: Season One.
Full Story
Analyst Greenfield says News Corp. close to iTunes deal
DEC. 3 | News Corp. and Apple's iTunes are close to selling the company's movies on the online store early next year, according to an analyst that follows Apple.
Full Story
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