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April 8, 2010
April 8, 2010
April 8, 2010
April 8, 2010
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Sony DADC Consolidates DVD Operations
Sony DADC plans to move all DVD production efforts at its Pitman, NJ plant to its facility in Terre Haute, IN, where a majority of DVD manufacturing is already taking place. The Pitman plant will remain open in other manufacturing capacities, continuing to produce CDs and videogames. By NJ.com
Netflix Tops Blockbuster In Domestic Rental Revenue For The First Time
The online DVD rental pioneer generated more than $444 million in fourth-quarter (ended Dec. 31) revenue, which topped Blockbuster’s fourth-quarter (ended Jan. 3) movie-rental revenue of nearly $400 million. By Home Media Magazine
Anti-Piracy Provision In Treaty Riles EU
The European Commission has pledged to make sure a global treaty known as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement will not force countries to disconnect people for unlawfully downloading copyrighted music, movies, and other material. The statement from the office of trade commissioner Karel de Gucht is the strongest comment on the treaty since the reorganized European Commission emerged in February. By CNET
Jobs, Diversity Top Issues At Comcast-NBCU Hearing
Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts and NBC Universal President & CEO Jeff Zucker faced a barrage of questions Feb. 25 in a marathon– over five hours with one break– hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on their proposed joint venture, their third Hill visit in as many weeks as they push for government approval of their $30 billion joint venture. During that time, the pair defended their records on diversity, and in some cases pledged to do better, reiterated their pledges to keep NBC free and over the air, and their programming available to competitive distributors. By Broadcasting & Cable
NPD On The Digital Music Dilemma
“In the short term, the numbers are outright scary,” NPD Group music analyst Russ Crupnick said at an industry conference this week. “The good news is that there are a lot of dedicated digital music buyers out there. We just need more of them.” By the Los Angeles Times
Release Window Wrap: What Does ‘Alice’ Deal Portend For Home Entertainment?
Theatrical distribution insiders tell Variety that it took a big title such as Disney’s “Alice In Wonderland” to “redraw the line” on release windows. “No exhibitor wanted to risk a poor quarterly earnings report because they’d passed on screening ‘Alice,’ whose commercial prospects appear bright, particularly with the upcharge for a 3D ticket,” the magazine says in its Feb. 26 analysis of the release-window debate.
Exactly what the Disney truce portends for the quarterly earnings of DVD distributors and other home entertainment service providers, however, is far from clear.
So far, few have addressed the extent to which a film’s “commercial prospects” factor into a studio’s push for a shorter theatrical window. Commercial prospects can shift right up to the eve of a film’s theatrical premiere.
From the standpoint of recouping a film’s production costs, studios would seemingly benefit from a general ability to move up home entertainment release dates if a title’s box office forecasts dimmed. But such an option, if exercised too freely by studios on a varying case-by-case basis, could wreak havoc on home entertainment supply chain planning.
The chief issue for service providers going forward is whether studios will push for a uniform shortening of theatrical release windows, or insist on flexibility for individual titles.
Blockbuster To Analysts: Studios Committed To Brick-And-Mortar For The Long Term
While Blockbuster emphasizes the growth potential of its kiosk, DVD-by-mail, and digital on demand businesses in its latest earnings report, the company is busy reassuring analysts of the continuing viability of its physical retail outlets.
Studios, said Blockbuster chairman and CEO Jim Keyes in an earnings call, are “of course concerned about the short term and will work with us in the short term. But for the long term, they’re aligned with us in that they want to see the brick-and-mortar store survive and to facilitate the cross-channel transformation.” (per The Wall Street Journal)
In a Feb. 24 statement detailing the company’s $434.9 million net loss for the fourth quarter of 2009, Keyes said Blockbuster expects to add 7,000 Blockbuster Express rental kiosks to the market this year through its partnership with NCR. The company also looks to grow its by-mail channel and digital Blockbuster On Demand service through new “collaborative partnerships,” Keyes said.
GameStop CFO Leaves For Wal-Mart
GameStop chief financial officer Catherine Smith has resigned after barely six months on the job for a position with Wal-Mart Stores. The videogame retailer said its senior VP and chief accounting officer Robert Lloyd has been named interim CFO, effective immediately. Smith will be chief financial officer of Wal-Mart’s international division. By the Dallas Morning News
Book Publishers Prevail Over RapidShare In German Court
RapidShare, the popular file-sharing site, has been ordered by a court in Hamburg, Germany to take down or sever access to digital files for 148 books, following a lawsuit from six publishers. RapidShare accounted for 36% of the 53,000 takedown notices issued by publishers between July and December, according to a study by Attributor, a content monitoring consulting service based in Redwood City, CA. By the Los Angeles Times
Last UK Exhibitor Holdout Agrees To Show Disney’s ‘Alice’
The UK’s biggest movie theater chain, Odeon, has ended its standoff with the Walt Disney Co., and will join exhibitors Vue and Cineworld to show “Alice In Wonderland” as scheduled. By Deadline Hollywood
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