The top news and charts for week ending March 31, 2008.

F.Y.E. prices Blu-ray releases low MARCH 28 | Two key home entertainment retailers are expanding their merchandising of Blu-ray Disc. Trans World Entertainment’s F.Y.E. stores are offering steep discounts as the chain makes the format a part of its rebate and loyalty programs, and Best Buy is clearing HD DVD out of select stores and turning the space over to Blu-ray. Click for Full Story Netflix shares hit four-year high MARCH 25 | Netflix shares were pushed by an analyst upgrade last week to a four-year high yesterday before an outage on the company’s Web site pulled the stock price down today. Click for Full Story Lionsgate adds Xenon, Hit in one week MARCH 27 | Lionsgate this week announced exclusive distribution agreements with both U.K. publisher Hit Entertainment and urban film producer Xenon Pictures in an effort to boost demand in the children’s and Latino genres. Click for Full Story Click for MORE

Alvin and the music Alvin and the Chipmunks cast members and the son of Alvin creator, Ross Bagdasarian Jr. (l.), celebrated at a charity concert event in Hollywood, Calif., on March 27. Also at the event were (l. to r.) Janice Bagdasarian, Kelly Gillooley, Jason Lee, Cameron Richardson, Jesse McCartney, Steve Feldstein and Matthew Gray Gubler with a check for VH1 Save The Music. Click for more industry photos.

"I AM LEGEND" leads Top DVD Renters Chart Full Top DVD Renters Chart "I AM LEGEND" leads Top DVD Sellers Chart Full Top DVD Sellers Chart "AMERICAN GANGSTER" leads Top HD DVD Sellers Chart Full Top HD DVD Sellers Chart "I AM LEGEND" leads Top Blu-ray Sellers Chart Full Top Blu-ray Sellers Chart Click for MORE	Futuristic thriller, I Am Legend infected renters and buyers this week.
Download-to-Own Non-Theatrical Renters Limited Release Renters Game Sellers

	SWEETING: Preemptive strike Paul Sweeting is editor of Content Agenda MARCH 28 | Comcast and BitTorrent struck an agreement to develop new network management practices that don’t involve throttling BitTorrent traffic. Whether the agreement will actually resolve anything, however, was not immediately clear. Click for full column
	BETWEEN THE LINES: Blu-ray opinion comes around Adding nuance to the day’s home entertainment news, with editor-in-chief Marcy Magiera. When Toshiba conceded the format war last month and said it would drop HD DVD, the Blu-ray camp had barely a moment to celebrate before some press outlets had spun the story into “Blu-ray won, but is it too late for packaged media?” Click for the full blog
	RED STATE, BLUE STATE: Profile 1.0, Profile 1.1, Profile 2.0: Is this math class? Making sense of the high-def battle between the red (HD DVD) and the blue (Blu-ray), with Susanne Ault. A friendly suggestion for BD hardware folks—you gotta come up with a cohesive way to explain these players. I realize that each level of player can do different things, and you need to correctly describe the attributes of each model type to consumers. Click for the full blog
	DISC DISH: Boondocks DVD episode exclusive Notable new releases coming to the DVD front lines, with Susanne Ault. Sony’s June 10 release of the second season of The Boondocks features two exclusive episodes that have never aired before in the U.S. Click for the full blog
	DVDIALOG: Richard Widmark, 1914-2008 Chatting up the creative element, with Laurence Lerman. Actor Richard Widmark died this morning at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. He was 93 years old. Click for the full blog
	THE DOWN LOW: YouTube gets Tudors first The latest buzz on technology, downloads and viral videos, with Samantha Clark. According to VB sister publication Multichannel News, King Henry VIII will stream on YouTube before airing on Showtime. Click for the full blog

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F.Y.E. prices Blu-ray releases low
MARCH 28 | Two key home entertainment retailers are expanding their merchandising of Blu-ray Disc. Trans World Entertainment’s F.Y.E. stores are offering steep discounts as the chain makes the format a part of its rebate and loyalty programs, and Best Buy is clearing HD DVD out of select stores and turning the space over to Blu-ray.
Click for Full Story

After format war, number of Blu-ray ads drop
MARCH 28 | The end of the format war has coincided with the lowest amount of retail advertising for Blu-ray players in months, according to DisplaySearch research.
Click for Full Story

Cable subscriptions will rise little on digital switch
MARCH 27 | Blockbuster, Netflix and other DVD-rental services may have found an unlikely ally in the U.S. switch to digital broadcasting next year: the federal government.
Click for Full Story

Movie Gallery and Wattles’ Boards resolve dispute
MARCH 27 | Movie Gallery has resolved its dispute with Boards, the company owned by Hollywood Entertainment founder and former CEO Mark Wattles, according to a March 26 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond.
Click for Full Story

Los Angeles Best Buy moves out HD DVD software
MARCH 26 | At least one Best Buy outlet has moved to return all unsold HD DVD software this week and has expanded its Blu-ray Disc merchandising at the same time.
Click for Full Story

Netflix shares hit four-year high
MARCH 25 | Netflix shares were pushed by an analyst upgrade last week to a four-year high yesterday before an outage on the company’s Web site pulled the stock price down today.
Click for Full Story

Movie Gallery faces $7.5 million objection by IRS
MARCH 25 | Movie Gallery has so far managed to resolve various objections from creditors in regard to its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but the company has now run into a potentially formidable adversary: the Internal Revenue Service.
Click for Full Story

Hastings reports stable Q4, fiscal 2007
MARCH 24 | Videogames and electronics strength stabilized Hastings Entertainment earnings for its fourth quarter and full-year fiscal 2007.
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After format war, number of Blu-ray ads drop
MARCH 28 | The end of the format war has coincided with the lowest amount of retail advertising for Blu-ray players in months, according to DisplaySearch research.
Click for Full Story

Lionsgate adds Xenon, Hit in one week
MARCH 27 | Lionsgate this week announced exclusive distribution agreements with both U.K. publisher Hit Entertainment and urban film producer Xenon Pictures in an effort to boost demand in the children’s and Latino genres.
Click for Full Story

Sony promotes acquisitions executive
MARCH 26 | Scott Shooman has been promoted to VP of acquisitions and productions at Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group.
Click for Full Story

Graffeo to leave high-def post at Universal
MARCH 26 | Following the death of HD DVD, one of the format’s gurus, Ken Graffeo, will leave his high-definition marketing role at Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Although still employed at Universal, where he has served as executive VP of HD strategic marketing since early last year, Graffeo is exploring other opportunities, including ones outside of the studio.
Click for Full Story

Robot Chicken gets Star Wars push
MARCH 26 | Cartoon Network’s July 22 DVD release of Robot Chicken: Star Wars has an unlikely promotional friend in George Lucas. Robot Chicken: Star Wars was scheduled to street on May 20, but it was delayed to July 22 to capitalize on promotional opportunities with Lucas’ production company, Lucasfilm, at upcoming conventions.
Click for Full Story

Image creates worldwide TV sales division
MARCH 25 | Image Entertainment has launched a worldwide TV sales division and has named Steve Saltman head of the new unit.
Click for Full Story

Behind Enemy Lines 3 starts production
MARCH 24 | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has started production on the third installment of its Behind Enemy Lines franchise, starring World Wrestling Entertainment star Mr. Kennedy.
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Who’s at the top again
MARCH 24 | VARIETY BOX OFFICE REPORT: Fox’s Horton heard victory cheers for the second frame in a row, as the CGI toon beat out another solid bow for Tyler Perry and a weak opening for Judd Apatow and Owen Wilson’s Drillbit Taylor. Horton Hears a Who declined 45% in its second frame to $25.1 million, easily beating out a solid $20 million debut for Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns from Lionsgate.
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F.Y.E. prices Blu-ray releases low
MARCH 28 | Two key home entertainment retailers are expanding their merchandising of Blu-ray Disc. Trans World Entertainment’s F.Y.E. stores are offering steep discounts as the chain makes the format a part of its rebate and loyalty programs, and Best Buy is clearing HD DVD out of select stores and turning the space over to Blu-ray.
Click for Full Story

After format war, number of Blu-ray ads drop
MARCH 28 | The end of the format war has coincided with the lowest amount of retail advertising for Blu-ray players in months, according to DisplaySearch research.
Click for Full Story

Los Angeles Best Buy moves out HD DVD software
MARCH 26 | At least one Best Buy outlet has moved to return all unsold HD DVD software this week and has expanded its Blu-ray Disc merchandising at the same time.
Click for Full Story

Graffeo to leave high-def post at Universal
MARCH 26 | Following the death of HD DVD, one of the format’s gurus, Ken Graffeo, will leave his high-definition marketing role at Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Although still employed at Universal, where he has served as executive VP of HD strategic marketing since early last year, Graffeo is exploring other opportunities, including ones outside of the studio.
Click for Full Story

Report: Blu-ray penetration at 29.4M worldwide by end of year
MARCH 26 | Now that the format war is over, Blu-ray Disc hardware penetration will boost to 29.4 million homes worldwide this year, according to a report by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices Services.
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Videogames News

50 Cent cashes in with videogame
MARCH 27 | Vivendi Games' Sierra label will release 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, this fall. It's a follow-up to 2005 release 50 Cent: Bulletproof, which was tied to the hip hop artists starring role in the film Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
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VOD News

Online media revenue to jump fourfold in five years
MARCH 28 | UPDATE: Revenue generated from online TV and video services will surge in the next five years as advertisers recognize that more people are watching shows over the Internet, according to a U.K.-based research firm.
Click for Full Story

Cable subscriptions will rise little on digital switch
MARCH 27 | Blockbuster, Netflix and other DVD-rental services may have found an unlikely ally in the U.S. switch to digital broadcasting next year: the federal government.
Click for Full Story

Report: PC use in home theaters to surge
MARCH 26 | Despite an increasing number of products designed to download or stream content directly to a TV without the help of a PC, computer use as a home-entertainment component will surge during the next five years as customers seek fast downloads of high-quality content, according to a report by consumer-research firm ABI Research.
Click for Full Story

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Technology News

Cable subscriptions will rise little on digital switch
MARCH 27 | Blockbuster, Netflix and other DVD-rental services may have found an unlikely ally in the U.S. switch to digital broadcasting next year: the federal government.
Click for Full Story

Report: PC use in home theaters to surge
MARCH 26 | Despite an increasing number of products designed to download or stream content directly to a TV without the help of a PC, computer use as a home-entertainment component will surge during the next five years as customers seek fast downloads of high-quality content, according to a report by consumer-research firm ABI Research.
Click for Full Story

Click for MORE

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Online Editor: Samantha Clark
VideoBusiness.com

This message was sent to cheryl.cheng@reedbusiness.com.

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