Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2008 - (Page 14) TV DVD Edited by John Latchem “24” with (L-R) star Kiefer Sutherland and season-one guest stars Lou Diamond Phillips and Dennis Hopper Turning Back the Clock Fox revisits the first season of ‘24’ with a special-edition DVD set By John Latchem ith season seven of “24” pushed back due to the writers strike, fans will have to wait until 2009 for their fix. Hoping to fill that void, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment May 20 (prebook April 23) releases 24: Season One — Special Edition, a seven-DVD set at $59.98. “‘24’ is one of our most successful series on DVD,” said Jyoti Sarda, executive director of TV DVD marketing for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Now that we are dealing with a maturing TV DVD environment, we thought it would be a good time to go back and give the fans something they would want.” The first-season set available since 2002 includes only six discs and is relatively light on extras compared to the subsequent seasons, which all include a seventh disc loaded with bonus material. Sarda said one reason for this is the first-season DVD was rushed into production to coincide with the second-season premiere. Another reason was that the TV DVD phenomenon was relatively new. W “Some of the things we put on these DVDs that are now seen January, but the writers strike ended those plans. Instead, the May as common just weren’t done back then,” Sarda said. release date opens a good sales window with Father’s Day. New content includes the retrospective documentary “The GenThe success of the “24” special edition also could pave the esis of ‘24,’” five extended episodes, 25 deleted scenes, way for re-releases of other TV DVD sets. a never-before-seen alternate ending, episode“I think this is an idea that has promise for any specific commentaries, two “The Rookie” online show that has a fan base and where a special edishort films and a season-seven trailer. tion can really include that extra value,” Sarda Sarda noted that the concept of a special edition is said. “It’s rare to have enough material to put toa classic marketing tool for movie DVDs, but hasn’t gether an extra disc. Typically we put these kinds yet been tried with TV shows. She said “24” presented of extras in the complete series set.” Fox with a unique opportunity because of the popularThe set is packaged in a metal tin that includes a ity of the show and the existence of enough extras to fill countdown clock and letters from the show’s creators, a bonus disc. Season one also is the best-selling season with discs stored in a cardboard accordion sleeve. of the show, accounting for 30% of all “24” DVD sales Fox is cross-promoting the title with Langers according to Nielsen VideoScan. Juice, putting $5 rebate coupons on 1 million cranSarda said Fox wanted to release the set to coincide berry juice labels, Sarda said. Langers in turn is running a with the seventh-season premiere, originally scheduled for mid- sweepstakes, with the top prize being a visit to the “24” set. WEIGHING POST-STRIKE OPTIONS By John Latchem he Writers Guild of America strike forced cutbacks in episode orders for many popular shows, which ultimately will affect the next crop of TV DVD releases. Fewer episodes mean fewer DVDs, slimMARKET mer boxed sets and lower revenue for ANALYSIS studios in an already mature category. Industry watcher Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD.com thinks smaller boxed sets could be a blessing for some. T “The sets will hit shelves with fewer episodes and at lower prices,” Lacey said. “The buy-in could be $20 at some stores instead of $40 or $45, and then they can catch the new season next year.” Studios have been hesitant to announce their post-strike plans. In response to a report indicating that Universal Studios Home Entertainment was going to split its eventual fourth-season release of “Battlestar Galactica” into two batches of 10 episodes (similar to the season-two sets), a Universal spokesperson said the studio was “still evaluating all potential opportunities.” Another option could be an increase in TV shows on highdefinition disc. According to Jyoti Sarda, executive director of TV DVD marketing for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, high-def sets give studios the chance to present fresh material without having to revisit a standard-DVD release. There is also the option of re-tooling older seasons. Fox’s new special-edition DVD set of season one of “24” is not tied to the strike, but if successful it could set an example for other studios. Lacey is hesitant to accept such a strategy. “I think re-releasing TV DVDs is a slippery slope,” Lacey said. “Fans are already getting pissed off because the complete-series set comes with bonus material they weren’t able to get. What works with movies doesn’t work with TV product. It made sense to revisit the first season of ‘24’ because the quality of the original release doesn’t hold up compared to other ‘24’ sets. I don’t mind this re-release, but I’d be pretty against moving down this path for other sets. The studios need to build loyalty with the consumers or they’ll see lost sales, and the inability to continue to release shows on DVD.” I SONY SENDS ‘RAISIN’ TO DVD The television adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun debuts on DVD May 6 (April 3) from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment at $24.94. The movie premiered on ABC Feb. 25 and was a ratings winner among female audiences. Reprising their roles from the stage version are Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald, Sanaa Lathan and John Stamos. Lorraine Hansberry’s original play debuted in 1959 and was the first written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway. It tells the story of a Chicago family hoping for a fresh start with the arrival of a $10,000 life insurance check. The film was the first broadcast network TV movie to screen at the Sundance Film Festival. I BCI REPLACES ‘HE-MAN’ DISC BCI has instituted a program to replace defective discs included in its recent He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Vol. One DVD release of the 2002 animated series. An authoring issue on the fourth episode of disc one causes the disc to skip over about three minutes of footage. Replacements can be requested by calling 866/641-3472 or sending an e-mail to HeManDisc@gmail.com that includes a name, address, daytime telephone number and the store name and location where the DVD was purchased. In addition to the replacement disc, customers will receive an exclusive bonus art card. – John Latchem 14 Home Media Magazine March 2–8, 2008 http://TVShowsOnDVD.com
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