The top news and charts for week ending March 17, 2008.
Best Buy builds bigger space for Blu-ray ShoWest: Theatrical window wider Studios fear little for DVD’s future |
Otis at SXSW Otis director Tony Krantz (far r.) attended the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, with the cast of his film: (l. to r.) Jere Burns, Ashley Johnson, Jared Kusnitz, Illeana Douglas, Bostin Christopher and Kevin Pollak. Click for more industry photos. |
"AMERICAN GANGSTER" leads Top DVD Renters Chart "101 DALMATIANS" leads Top DVD Sellers Chart "BEOWULF" leads Top HD DVD Sellers Chart "30 DAYS OF NIGHT" leads Top Blu-ray Sellers Chart |
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SWEETING: No neutrality on net neutrality |
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Endgame |
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BETWEEN THE LINES: 3-D may not be a boon for DVD |
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RED STATE, BLUE STATE: Toshiba still has more money than you |
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DISC DISH: Charlie Wilson’s War DVD |
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DVDIALOG: Color me Storaro |
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THE DOWN LOW: Downloads, baby? |
Best Buy builds bigger space for Blu-ray
MARCH 14 | Best Buy is moving out the old to make room for the new, as Blu-ray Disc becomes a larger merchandising focus. Some of the chain’s stores are using new security packaging for all single and box set BD software, affixing clear plastic casing over the original disc case.
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NPD Group: Consumer intent to buy Blu-ray grows
MARCH 14 | Consumers are increasingly primed to purchase Blu-ray Disc players, according to NPD Group research conducted around the time of the format’s formal victory.
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Mixed consumer electronics sales expectations
MARCH 14 | FROM TWICE: Expectations for consumer electronics sales are mixed for the foreseeable future, based on recent research and analyst reports.
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Best Buy maintains lead with consumer electronics shoppers
MARCH 14 | FROM TWICE: Best Buy remained the leading choice for electronics shopping among consumers surveyed for a report by market research firm BIGresearch this month.
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Time Warner Cable expands VOD measurement with Rentrak
MARCH 12 | FROM BROADCASTING & CABLE: Time Warner Cable awarded media-measurement firm Rentrak a multiyear services contract to provide it with video-on-demand measurement and analytical services.
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Wal-Mart hits the Bollywood trail
MARCH 12 | FROM VARIETY: In a major outreach to the Indian diaspora, Wal-Mart will distrib Eros Intl. movies on DVD in Canada.
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DVD packagers still don’t satisfy Wal-Mart
MARCH 11 | LA QUINTA, Calif.—Almost a year and a half after Wal-Mart put out a call for purveyors to cut packaging levels for the sake of environmental sustainability, the DVD industry is scrambling to meet the retail giant’s standards.
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Study: Consumers purchase from multiple media platforms
MARCH 11 | To maximize sales, retailers and content suppliers need to view consumers as fans of multiple entertainment categories, according to an NPD Group study.
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Gumby returns to DVD for 50th anniversary
MARCH 14 | Gumby: The Movie will street on DVD for the first time on Earth Day, April 22, as part of an extended celebration for the 50th anniversary of the original “green” product. Since acquiring rights to the property last year, Classic Media has been reintroducing the franchise, starting with the digital bow of episodes from ’60s The Gumby Show on AOL and YouTube in March 2007, marking the character’s 50th birthday.
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Expected Blu-ray surge to test disc supply
MARCH 13 | LA QUINTA, Calif.—Movie studio executives speaking at the Content Delivery and Storage Assn. conference here last weekend had little doubt that Sony’s victory with Blu-ray Disc in the high-definition format war will spur sales of packaged media. Supplying the discs necessary for such a surge may be another story.
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WB courts Emmerich for New Line
MARCH 13 | FROM VARIETY: As Warner Bros. figures out how to fold New Line Cinema’s operations into the larger studio, insiders have been surprised to find WB brass aggressively courting New Line production prexy Toby Emmerich to run a scaled-down version of New Line.
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Iger: Computer replacing TV as primary entertainment source
MARCH 13 | FROM BROADCASTING & CABLE: Disney president and CEO Bob Iger expressed a very bullish take on new media at the McGraw-Hill Media Summit Wednesday morning in New York, chastising media executives for their skittish view of the multiple-platform approach to delivering content.
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Magic Play Entertainment starts self-distribution
MARCH 12 | Magic Play Entertainment, which has released titles through Razor Digital Entertainment since 2004, will begin self-distributing new product beginning in May.
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Hulu going live Wednesday, adds content partners
MARCH 12 | FROM BROADCASTING & CABLE: Hulu, the broadband-video site developed by NBC Universal and News Corp., will open to the general public Wednesday. Hulu had been in a private beta since October and a semi-private beta since last month.
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MPAA topper blasts Net neutrality
MARCH 12 | VARIETY SHOWEST REPORT: Showbiz's top lobbyists are taking an increasingly vocal position against so-called Net neutrality, but not everyone in the industry is singing the same tune on the complicated policy issue.
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Wal-Mart hits the Bollywood trail
MARCH 12 | FROM VARIETY: In a major outreach to the Indian diaspora, Wal-Mart will distrib Eros Intl. movies on DVD in Canada.
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CBS stays hushed about Hulu
MARCH 12 | FROM VARIETY: CBS hasn't nixed the idea of eventually joining News Corp. and NBC's new Hulu online video site -- but if there's any movement on such a deal, the Eye isn't talking. Since CBS launched its Audience Network last September, users have accessed 193 million video streams, be it via CBS.com or one of its 191 partners. In February, CBS experienced 44 million video views.
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Genius takes on distribution of faith-based Pure Flix
MARCH 11 | The Weinstein Co.’s distributor, Genius Products LLC, has signed on to street titles from faith-based specialist Pure Flix Entertainment.
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Nancy Drew gets new, interactive version for VOD
MARCH 11 | Bolstering its already aggressive video-on-demand strategy, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution today debuted an exclusive version of Nancy Drew to VOD, pay-per-view and download-to-own platforms the same day the film was released on DVD. This digital edition, dubbed Nancy Drew: Drew’s Clues, will come enhanced with clues, trivia and behind-the-scenes info that pop up during the course of the film.
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Studios, theaters near digital pact
MARCH 11 | VARIETY SHOWEST REPORT: Hollywood studios are on the brink of inking a deal with the nation's three largest theater chains that could lead to a dramatic rise in the number of movie screens undergoing conversion to digital and 3D.
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Studios tease market with blockbuster clips
MARCH 11 : VARIETY SHOWEST REPORT: Exhibitors from around the world got a taste of what to expect in 2008 from four studios on Monday's International Day at ShoWest.
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Studios talk 3D, piracy at ShoWest
MARCH 11 | VARIETY SHOWEST REPORT: The economic recession and 3D technology were two of the big buzz topics early on at ShoWest, as top studio execs on the international side gathered for the first "state of the union" confab Monday morning. But it was the idea that the rich should be able to get richer -- and that piracy is preventing them from doing so -- that pervaded the sesh.
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Raw Feed DVD premiere gets spotlight at SXSW
MARCH 10 | AUSTIN, Texas—Tony Krantz believes one key to his success lies in advocating for the made-for-DVD business, such as Warner Home Video’s June 10 release Otis, which premiered March 7 at the South by Southwest Film Festival here. Krantz is pictured far. r. with stars (l. to r.) Jere Burns, Ashley Johnson, Jared Kusnitz, Illeana Douglas, Bostin Christopher and Kevin Pollak.
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Lionsgate to offer iTunes files on DVDs
MARCH 10 | Lionsgate in May will start including an iTunes digital copy on some of its high-profile DVD releases, making it the second studio to work with Apple on providing digital files that can be played on iPods and other Apple devices. The studio will embed the iTunes copy on special-edition and Blu-ray DVDs of Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo, due May 27.
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Topics gives back—to employees and environment
MARCH 10 | As head of a DVD and computer software publishing company that employs 55 people, Topics Entertainment president and CEO Greg James found himself in the somewhat unique position to create a program that benefits his employees while addressing larger environmental concerns, so he did.
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Genius Products joins videogame segment
MARCH 10 | Genius Products Inc. is launching a videogame publishing and distribution arm.
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Warner promotes Horak, Gareton
MARCH 10 | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has bolstered its ranks with two promotions, naming Mark Horak president of its DVD division, North America, and appointing Marc Gareton executive VP of international of its digital distribution unit.
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10,000 BC wins weekend
MARCH 10 | VARIETY BOX OFFICE REPORT: Warner Bros.’ 10,000 BC speared a decent-sized aud as the prehistoric epic easily took the top spot with $35.7 million in a quiet frame in which no pics exceeded expectations. Though hopes for the Rolland Emmerich-helmed 10,000 BC rose as high as $40 million-plus, the pic's perf ended up right in line with studio expectations.
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Best Buy builds bigger space for Blu-ray
MARCH 14 | Best Buy is moving out the old to make room for the new, as Blu-ray Disc becomes a larger merchandising focus. Some of the chain’s stores are using new security packaging for all single and box set BD software, affixing clear plastic casing over the original disc case.
Click for Full Story
NPD Group: Consumer intent to buy Blu-ray grows
MARCH 14 | Consumers are increasingly primed to purchase Blu-ray Disc players, according to NPD Group research conducted around the time of the format’s formal victory.
Click for Full Story
Expected Blu-ray surge to test disc supply
MARCH 13 | LA QUINTA, Calif.—Movie studio executives speaking at the Content Delivery and Storage Assn. conference here last weekend had little doubt that Sony’s victory with Blu-ray Disc in the high-definition format war will spur sales of packaged media. Supplying the discs necessary for such a surge may be another story.
Click for Full Story
EA logs hostile offer for Take-Two
MARCH 14 | FROM VARIETY: With Take-Two Interactive's board refusing to budge in its opposition to the deal, Electronic Arts has turned its $2 billion acquisition offer hostile.
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Sony Online aligns with PlayStation
MARCH 14 | FROM VARIETY: Big changes continued at Sony Pictures Digital on Thursday as its videogame division Sony Online Entertainment left the studio and was re-aligned with the conglom's PlayStation group.
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Videogame sales up 34% in February
MARCH 13 | Videogame purchases in February rose 34% from the same month last year to reach $1.33 billion in hardware and software sales, according to the NPD Group. The most popular next-generation console continues to be Nintendo’s Wii, selling 432,000 units in February.
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Viacom withdraws Guitar suit
MARCH 12 | FROM VARIETY: Viacom-owned Harmonix Music Systems, the developer of the first two Guitar Hero games and Rock Band, on Monday filed a lawsuit alleging that Activision owes it royalties of more than $14.5 million for Guitar Hero III and other spinoff products from the hit franchise.
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Take-Two drives goals with GTA
MARCH 12 | FROM VARIETY: Take-Two Interactive isn't any closer to resolving its ownership fight with Electronic Arts, but it made some progress on its own financial goals and upped guidance for the current fiscal year.
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Genius Products joins videogame segment
MARCH 10 | Genius Products Inc. is launching a videogame publishing and distribution arm.
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Vudu adds control code partners
MARCH 14 | FROM TWICE: Internet distributed video service provider Vudu said home control and automation firms Control4, Crestron, Logitech, NetStreams, Philips, Universal Electronics and Universal Remote Control have agreed to integrate key products with Vudu’s HD-capable set-top boxes and other devices.
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TiVo to tote YouTube to TVs
MARCH 12 | FROM MULTICHANNEL NEWS: TiVo inked a deal with Google's YouTube that will let its digital video recorder customers watch soccer bloopers, Japanese music videos, something called "Vampire Robot Nazis Strike Back!" and thousands of other user-uploaded clips on their TVs.
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Time Warner Cable expands VOD measurement with Rentrak
MARCH 12 | FROM BROADCASTING & CABLE: Time Warner Cable awarded media-measurement firm Rentrak a multiyear services contract to provide it with video-on-demand measurement and analytical services.
Click for Full Story
Hulu going live Wednesday, adds content partners
MARCH 12 | FROM BROADCASTING & CABLE: Hulu, the broadband-video site developed by NBC Universal and News Corp., will open to the general public Wednesday. Hulu had been in a private beta since October and a semi-private beta since last month.
Click for Full Story
CBS stays hushed about Hulu
MARCH 12 | FROM VARIETY: CBS hasn't nixed the idea of eventually joining News Corp. and NBC's new Hulu online video site -- but if there's any movement on such a deal, the Eye isn't talking. Since CBS launched its Audience Network last September, users have accessed 193 million video streams, be it via CBS.com or one of its 191 partners. In February, CBS experienced 44 million video views.
Click for Full Story
Nancy Drew gets new, interactive version for VOD
MARCH 11 | Bolstering its already aggressive video-on-demand strategy, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution today debuted an exclusive version of Nancy Drew to VOD, pay-per-view and download-to-own platforms the same day the film was released on DVD. This digital edition, dubbed Nancy Drew: Drew’s Clues, will come enhanced with clues, trivia and behind-the-scenes info that pop up during the course of the film.
Click for Full Story
Hulu video site goes live
MARCH 11 | FROM VARIETY: News Corp. and NBC Universal's online vid service Hulu is set to tear off the wrapping paper Wednesday, officially launching with content from several new partners, including Warner Bros. TV Group and Lionsgate.
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Lionsgate to offer iTunes files on DVDs
MARCH 10 | Lionsgate in May will start including an iTunes digital copy on some of its high-profile DVD releases, making it the second studio to work with Apple on providing digital files that can be played on iPods and other Apple devices. The studio will embed the iTunes copy on special-edition and Blu-ray DVDs of Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo, due May 27.
Click for Full Story
Vudu adds control code partners
MARCH 14 | FROM TWICE: Internet distributed video service provider Vudu said home control and automation firms Control4, Crestron, Logitech, NetStreams, Philips, Universal Electronics and Universal Remote Control have agreed to integrate key products with Vudu’s HD-capable set-top boxes and other devices.
Click for Full Story
ClearPlay looks to expand
MARCH 10 | FROM BROADCASTING & CABLE: Using the heat of a presidential campaign to point out the family-friendly features of its movie “filtering” technology, executives from ClearPlay recently announced plans to license its system to manufacturers that may want to tap into the powerful family-focused constituency.
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