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MESA News – Mar. 27
Studios/SuppliersÂ
ESCA conference to focus on sales, profits
By Cheryl Cheng – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | Two-day event will be held June 23-24 More
First Run to sponsor Sarasota Film Festival
By Cheryl Cheng – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | Distributor acquires acclaimed Turkish film Bliss More
Lionsgate plans Family Fun 3 Packs
By Marcy Magiera – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | Offers bargain DVDs in response to tight economy More
Image, Nyx extend merger closing date again
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | Image gets $1 million as deadline is moved to April 6 More
Vivendi acquires Deep In the Valley
By Cheryl Cheng – 03/26/2009
MARCH 26 | Sex comedy stars Denise Richards, Kim Kardashian More
Dick Clark Productions sues First Look
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/26/2009
MARCH 26 | Claims supplier owes $1.4 million More
RealNetworks claim didn’t expect lawsuit over RealDVD
By Jennifer Netherby – 03/24/2009
MARCH 24 | MPAA charge the company with destroying evidence More
Virgil takes faith-based Bridgestone mainstream
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/24/2009
MARCH 24 | Catalog, new titles being released this year More
Fox names Mulvihill to global content unit
By Cheryl Cheng – 03/23/2009
MARCH 23 | Executive to lead ideation, production for home entertainment More
Sony to launch green initiative with Mall Cop
By Susanne Ault – 03/23/2009
MARCH 23 | Single-DVD cases to use 20% less plastic More
Knowing tops weekend box office
By Dave McNary and Pamela McClintock of Variety – 03/23/2009
MARCH 23 | VARIETY BOX-OFFICE REPORT: Love, Duplicity fall short of expectations More
Warner launches manufacturing-on-demand service
By Susanne Ault – 03/23/2009
MARCH 23 | Consumers can order from 150 classic movies More
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Retail
Baker & Taylor, others join Big Blue on Chapter 11 watch
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | Downturned economy has led to expanded list More
OPINION: Blockbuster weathering storms
By Paul Sweeting – 03/27/2009
Paul Sweeting is editor of Content Agenda
MARCH 27 | March certainly came in like a lion for Blockbuster. More
Twilight bites 3 million DVD, Blu-ray buyers
By Marcy Magiera and Danny King – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | UPDATE: Thousands turn out to glimpse stars at midnight sales More
EMA fights for DRM scrutiny
By Paul Sweeting – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | MPAA says technology makes online video options possible More
GameStop’s Q4 profit rises 22%
By Danny King – 03/26/2009
MARCH 26 | Retailer downplays Amazon’s entry into used games More
Best Buy DVD, CD sales drag down earnings
By Danny King – 03/26/2009
MARCH 26 | Profit, same-store sales beat expectations on higher market share More
Economy drags Hastings earnings
By Marcy Magiera – 03/25/2009
MARCH 25 | Fiscal Q4 revenue down 2.7%, full year off 1.6% More
Blockbuster courts Latino auds
By Anna Marie de la Fuente of Variety – 03/24/2009
MARCH 24 | FROM VARIETY: Home video retailer, Maya team for film festival More
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High-def
Home entertainment slide slowing in Q1
By Jennifer Netherby – 03/25/2009
MARCH 25 | Merrill Lynch analyst predicts return to growth by 2011 More
Digital copy use on the rise
By Susanne Ault – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | Feature most popular with Blu-ray owners More
Bolt Sunday release causes street date breaks
By Jennifer Netherby – 03/26/2009
MARCH 26 | Stores follow after Wal-Mart puts DVD, Blu-ray on shelves on Friday More
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Technology
Roku will develop search function for Amazon titles
By Danny King – 03/25/2009
MARCH 25 | Set-top box allows for video-streaming directly to TVs More
Blockbuster downloads to be available through TiVo
By Danny King – 03/25/2009
MARCH 25 | DVRs will be sold at video-rental chain’s stores More
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VOD/Downloads
By Jennifer Netherby – 03/27/2009
MARCH 27 | Hulu, TV.com growing, but don’t have IMDb traffic More
Fox brings VOD under home entertainment
By Susanne Ault and Jennifer Netherby – 03/26/2009
MARCH 26 | Includes online, cable/satellite services More
Free online TV a threat to industry
By John Hopewell of Variety – 03/25/2009
MARCH 25 | FROM VARIETY: Screen Digest unveils report at media confab More
Latinos more likely to download movies, TV shows
03/24/2009
MARCH 24 | Study: Segment adopting digital delivery faster than overall population More
Rentrak boosts VOD-measurement business
By Danny King – 03/23/2009
MARCH 23 | InDemand, Magnolia are among new clients More
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Videogames
GameStop’s Q4 profit rises 22%
By Danny King – 03/26/2009
MARCH 26 | Retailer downplays Amazon’s entry into used games More
Wii notches up 50 million sales
By Mark Schilling of Variety – 03/25/2009
MARCH 25 | FROM VARIETY: Nintendo sets a new game console record More
PCs to replace videogame consoles?
By Marc Graser of Variety – 03/24/2009
MARCH 24 | FROM VARIETY: WB’s OnLive promises on-demand service More
Entertainment Supply Chain Academy Announced!
www.entertainmentsupplychain.comÂ
“MAXIMIZING HOME ENTERTAINMENT SALES & PROFITS IN TURBULENT TIMES”
The entertainment supply chain is center stage in Hollywood as studios and their partners retool to maximize profits in today’s turbulent economy. This year’s ESCA is, thus, more important than ever as a platform for proven solutions, new directions and innovative developments.
 More sales and more profits will be the code-words for all sessions, while the conference itself is organized to focus on the three most critical areas for today’s studios and their service providers:
- Build Blu: will present ways to increase sales and profitability of the new format while growing consumer satisfaction for the HD media buying experience.
- Go Green: will identify how sustainability is both an ecological and economical issue that impacts the entire physical media supply chain.Â
- Focus on the Future: will explore opportunities that utilize existing and  emergent technologies to generate ROI for partners in both physical and digital home entertainment.
WHAT’S NEW?
- Breakouts and working groups: providing attendees more time for networking and “solutions-oriented” meetings, demos of new and cool enabling technologies
- Reduced studio pricing: full conference pricing as well as reduced pricing for a single session(s); studios and group rates
- No media rule: all sessions will be off the record to encourage panelist/presenter candor and audience participation
MESA News – Mar. 20
Studios/SuppliersÂ
Former New Yorker label starts own distribution
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/20/2009
MARCH 20 | Yella will be Cinema Guild’s first release More
Opinion: Disc vs. Web
By Paul Sweeting – 03/20/2009
Paul Sweeting is editor of Content Agenda
MARCHÂ 20 | How threatened, really, is the success of Blu-ray Disc by the prospect of high-definition digital downloads? More
Image, Nyx merger rocky again
By Susanne Ault – 03/20/2009
MARCH 20 | Required payment for March 26 reprieve not received More
Sony collects Norman Lear TV shows for DVD set
By Susanne Ault – 03/20/2009
MARCH 20 | All in the Family, Sanford and Son among series in 19-disc box More
Universal takes ‘Barbie’ worldwide
By Ali Jaafar of Variety – 03/17/2009
MARCH 17 | FROM VARIETY: DVD distribution deal is for animated franchise More
Image promotes Framer to president
By Susanne Ault – 03/16/2009
MARCH 16 | Replaces Borshell after less than a year in position More
Mountain tops weekend box office
By Dave McNary and Pamela McClintock of Variety – 03/16/2009
MARCH 16 | VARIETY BOX-OFFICE REPORT: Disney remake bumps Watchmen from top More
RETAIL
Movie Gallery launches subscription plan
By Danny King – 03/18/2009
MARCH 18 | ‘PowerPlay’ program eliminates due dates, late fees More
Twilight pre-orders break Wal-Mart record
By Susanne Ault – 03/18/2009
MARCH 18 | Mass merchant’s midnight parties to include message from film talent More
Circuit City dismissing employees, directors
By Alan Wolf of TWICE – 03/18/2009
MARCH 18 | FROM TWICE: Marcum overseeing liquidation of assets More
Charles in Charge gets exclusive CreateSpace debut
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/17/2009
MARCH 17 | Season four available on demand More
MovieFlix offers multi-level subscription plans
By Cheryl Cheng – 03/17/2009
MARCH 17 | Download packages range from $9.95 to $28.95 More
Wattles buys Blockbuster stake
By Alan Wolf of TWICE – 03/17/2009
MARCH 17 | Hollywood Video founder owns 5.7% of class A shares More
Higgins to receive Presidential Award at NARM
By Susanne Ault – 03/16/2009
MARCH 16 | Trans World chairman/CEO honored for impact on music retailing More
HIGH-DEF
Panasonic ‘bullish’ on Blu-ray
By Susanne Ault – 03/17/2009
MARCH 17 | Company demonstrated players, including VHS/BD model More
ITunes to let user buy movies in HD
By Paul Sweeting – 03/20/2009
MARCH 20 | Downloads available day-and-date with DVD, Blu-ray More
Dolby signs licensing deals with Chinese Blu-ray makers
By Greg Tarr of TWICE – 03/20/2009
MARCH 20 | FROM TWICE: High-def audio to be included in new players More
TechnologyÂ
Consumer technology revenue dropped 4% in 2008
By Susanne Ault – 03/19/2009
MARCH 19 | Best Buy held largest sales share More
Blockbuster will cut costs for refinancing
By Danny King – 03/19/2009
MARCH 19 | Company scales back product buys, looks to boost revenue-sharing More
VOD/DOWNLOADS
ZillionTV names its executive management team
By Cheryl Cheng – 03/19/2009
MARCH 19 | Hires from cable, advertising, entertainment and commerce industries More
TV goes overboard with Internet
By Ben Fritz of Variety – 03/18/2009
MARCH 18 | FROM VARIETY: Despite high ratings, Web ads not paying off More
MovieFlix offers multi-level subscription plans
By Cheryl Cheng – 03/17/2009
MARCH 17 | Download packages range from $9.95 to $28.95 More
Comcast to offer Twilight VOD with exclusive content
By Susanne Ault – 03/16/2009
MARCH 16 | Format launch will be day-and-date with DVD bow More
VIDEOGAMES
Videogame revenue climbs 10% in February
By Susanne Ault – 03/19/2009
MARCH 20 | Hardware up 11%, software rises 9% More
Fox turns on Blacklight
By Tatiana Siegel of Variety – 03/17/2009
MARCH 17 | FROM VARIETY: Studio signs on for action pic, videogame More
Hayter, Carver form Dark Hero
By Michael Fleming of Variety – 03/17/2009
MARCH 17 | FROM VARIETY: Writer, producer team for genre projects for film, TV, Internet and videogames More
MESA News – Mar. 13
Studios/Suppliers
Sony’s Bishop delivers positive message at PEVE
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/13/2009
MARCH 13 | Keynote addresses strong industry, growing new formats More
Rental to stay popular through 2013
By Marcy Magiera – 03/13/2009
MARCH 13 | Report: Subscription, kiosks to grow as traditional stores decline More
OPINION: Box office boon
By Paul Sweeting – 03/13/2009
Paul Sweeting is editor of Content Agenda
MARCH 13 | The recent, unexpected surge at the theatrical box office could provide the industry an opportunity to observe a rare natural experiment. More Â
Sony cuts 3.5% of worldwide workforce
By Susanne Ault – 03/12/2009
MARCH 12 | Home entertainment division loses some staff, but senior executives staying More
Image, Nyx merger safe
By Susanne Ault – 03/09/2009
MARCH 9 | Required Nyx payment received More
Watchmen on top with $55.7 million
By Pamela McClintock of Variety – 03/09/2009
MARCH 9 | VARIETY BOX-OFFICE REPORT: Zack Snyder’s superhero pic wins box office More
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Retail
WaxWorks Team Marketing adds retail clients
By Susanne Ault – 03/13/2009
MARCH 13 | Office Depot, Walgreens among stores carrying local titles More
Retailers merchandise around Watchmen tie-ins
By Susanne Ault – 03/13/2009
MARCH 13 | Related product includes Warner’s Tales of the Black Freighter More
Best Buy, Wal-Mart tighten grip on CE: Report
By Alan Wolf of TWICE – 03/13/2009
MARCH 13 | FROM TWICE: Retailers command 55% of market More
Trans World stock bought by investors
By Susanne Ault – 03/12/2009
MARCH 12 | Drop in share price a boon to Miller, CEO Higgins More
Redbox: Customers as likely to buy DVDs as others
By Danny King – 03/12/2009
MARCH 12 | Kiosk-leader’s patrons will account for 9% of DVD sales this year More
Netflix partners with Woman in Film
By Justin Kroll of Variety – 03/12/2009
MARCH 12 | FROM VARIETY: Finishing Fund supports female filmmakers More
SpongeBob gets own space in Wal-Mart
By Susanne Ault – 03/12/2009
MARCH 12 | Themed boutiques throughout March to celebrate cartoon character’s 10th birthday More
Blockbuster will hold Twilight blood drives
By Danny King – 03/11/2009
MARCH 11 | ‘Pint’ exchanges to take place in 20 cities More
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High-def
Panasonic’s new Blu-ray players in stores in April
By Susanne Ault – 03/11/2009
MARCH 11 | Line includes Blu-ray/VHS player priced at $399.95 More
Warner releases extended Woodstock doc on DVD, Blu-ray
By Susanne Ault – 03/11/2009
MARCH 11 | 3 Days of Peace & Music: Ultimate Collector’s Edition to offer two hours of new footage More
Sony ties Da Vinci Code Blu-ray to Angels & Demons
By Susanne Ault – 03/09/2009
MARCH 9 | BD title to include preview, movie cash More
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Technology
Lionsgate to co-develop TV, mobile, Web game show
By Danny King – 03/10/2009
MARCHÂ 10 | Instantly Rich will award $1 million per weekly episode More
TV, Web, mobile could drop $5 billion due to recession
By Susanne Ault – 03/09/2009
MARCH 9 | In-Stat survey shows more consumers online while watching TV More
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VOD/Downloads
Hulu adds networking to boost online TV viewing
Rental to stay popular through 2013
By Marcy Magiera – 03/13/2009
MARCH 13 | Report: Subscription, kiosks to grow as traditional stores decline More
Universal titles now on PS3, PSP
By Jennifer Netherby – 03/10/2009
MARCH 10 | Movies, TV shows can be downloaded for both platforms More
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Videogames
GameFly to test rental kiosks at universities
By Danny King – 03/12/2009
MARCH 12 | Games priced between $1.99 and $2.49 a day More
Amazon tests used games sales
By Danny King – 03/10/2009
MARCH 10 | Customers also can trade for store credit More
Take-Two Q1 loss widens 33%
By Danny King – 03/10/2009
MARCH 10 | GTA publisher’s Q2 forecast lags analyst estimates More
Online videogames up to 25% of market
By Susanne Ault – 03/10/2009
MARCH 10 | Xbox 360 most popular console More
California videogame law ruled unconstitutional
By Cheryl Cheng – 03/10/2009
MARCH 10 | State has until May to appeal VSDA v. Schwarzenegger ruling More
Starz to release Righteous Kill, Party Down games
By Danny King – 03/10/2009
MARCH 10 | Merscom will co-develop casual-gaming titles More
MESA News – Mar. 6
Studios/Suppliers
Redbox opposes Universal’s lawsuit-dismissal request
By Danny King – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 | Kiosk operator alleges studio boycott through distributors, retailers More
Venevision nabs rights to Spanish trio
By Emiliano de Pablos of Variety – 03/06/2009
MARCH 6 | FROM VARIETY: Deal covers U.S. DVD, VOD, pay TV More
 Image receives part of required Nyx payment
By Susanne Ault – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 | Merger still on if full funds are paid by Friday More
Media mixed as stock continues slide
By Dade Hayes of Variety – 03/04/2009
MARCH 4 | FROM VARIETY: Blockbuster Video hit hard by financial crisis More
Disney chief considers online subscription
By Danny King – 03/04/2009
MARCH 4 | Falling DVD sales, increasing piracy concerns Iger More
Hit Entertainment gets into movie biz
By Dade Hayes of Variety – 03/04/2009
MARCH 4 | FROM VARIETY: Kidvidder’s first film will be Thomas adaptation More
Invincible Pictures starts self-distribution
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | Plans at least three new releases per month More
Cinram Q4 sales fall on fewer DVD orders
By Danny King – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | Replicator’s loss narrows on year-earlier charge More
Genius to pay Weinstein Co. $63 million in new deal
By Susanne Ault – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | Distributor to handle TWC titles through 2010 More
Viacom’s Dauman downplays long-term DVD decline
By Danny King – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | Households adjust by renting more, buying less, exec says More
Madea holds on to box office crown
By Dave Mcnary and Pamela McClintock of Variety – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | VARIETY BOX-OFFICE REPORT: Jonas Brothers can’t steal spotlight from Perry pic More
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Retail
 Movie Gallery CEO steps down
By Danny King – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 | Gabriel departs after less than a year, Mityas takes over More
Netflix to stream South Park exclusively
By Danny King – 03/05/2009
MARCHÂ 5 | Customers will get access to first nine seasons of Comedy Central cartoon More
Fox differentiates sales, rental DVDs by added-value
By Susanne Ault – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 | Slumdog Millionaire, Marley & Me first titles under new strategy More
Blockbuster’s Q4 same-store sales rise 4.4%
By Danny King – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 |Â Videogames, consumer electronics drive increase More
Circuit City stores to shut this Sunday
By Alan Wolf of TWICE – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 | FROM TWICE: Closure two weeks earlier than planned More
Redbox installs first Manhattan kiosks
By Danny King – 03/04/2009
MARCH 4 | Walgreens at Times Square, Empire State Building get machines More
Blockbuster hires counsel for debt
By Danny King – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | Movie rental chain denies report that it might file for bankruptcy More
Virgin to close by summer
By Susanne Ault – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | New York stores to shutter in April, rest later More
Bell Canada to buy Circuit City’s Canadian business
By Alan Wolf of TWICE – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | FROM TWICE: Deal involves 750 stores in country More
Twilight midnight parties scheduled for March 20
By Susanne Ault – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | Blockbuster, Wal-Mart among retailers to celebrate More
Legally Blondes streets April 8
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | TEEN & TWEEN: DVD premiere third in franchise More
Degrassi season seven arrives in March
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | TEENÂ & TWEEN: DVD offers behind-the-scenes Webisodes More
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Technology
Warner, others look to expand digital distribution
By Jennifer Netherby – 03/06/2009
MARCH 6 | TV Everywhere to offer content on PCs, mobile phones More
Time Warner to offer programs on Web, phones
By Jennifer Netherby – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | TV Everywhere iniative available only to subscribers More
TiVo cuts Q4 loss by 44%
By Danny King – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | DVR leader has first-ever profitable year More
Electronic games top tween wish lists
By Cindy Spielvogel – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | TEEN & TWEEN: Music, movies popular among older boys, girls More
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High-Def
Disney spruces up Pinocchio Blu-ray
By Susanne Ault – 03/06/2009
MARCH 6 | Studio adds decorative framing, dubbed ‘Disney View’ More
Warner’s Bewkes bullish on Blu-ray, VOD
By Susanne Ault – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | Studio sees better profit margins in emerging technologies More
Sony to launch wireless Blu-ray players
By Susanne Ault – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | First two models to arrive in May More
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VOD/Downloads
Amazon goes live with Roku box
By Danny King – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | Set-top player streams from 40,000-title inventory to TV More
VOD will drive Web-to-TV adoption
By Danny King – 03/05/2009
MARCHÂ 5 | News aggregation also will boost connectivity, report says More
ZillionTV to offer free content directly to TVs
By Susanne Ault – 03/04/2009
 MARCH 4 | Broadband video-on-demand service will offer films in pay per view window More
NBC Universal, Rentrak sign Web usage deal
By Danny King – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | Agreement expands partnership started in January More
VOD goes super-size
By Todd Spangler of Multichannel News – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | FROM MULTICHANNEL NEWS: Startup funded by Comcast, Arris rolls network video switch More
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Videogames
Multi-player gamers to double in four years
By Danny King – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 | Report: Casual games will bring in $1 billion by 2013 More
Trans World to focus more on videogames
By Susanne Ault – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 | Retailer had red ink for fiscal Q4 and 2008 More
MTV’s Beatles videogame gets name, release date
By Alex Weprin of Broadcasting & Cable – 03/05/2009
MARCH 5 | FROM B&C: Beatles: Rock Band to hit store shelves 9/9/09 More
Game Crazy gives away Sanatorium trips with Evil
By Danny King – 03/03/2009
MARCH 3 | Five buyers will get free trips to Kentucky’s haunted Waverly Hills MoreÂ
Consoles offer new ways to get movies
By Marc Graser of Variety – 03/02/2009
MARCH 2 | FROM VARIETY: Home video turns to downloads via gaming More
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