Home Media Magazine - April 6-12, 2008 - (Page 10)

NEWS STUDIOS MAKE ECO-FRIENDLY EFFORTS By Chris Tribbey www.homemediamagazine.com Industry Likes Being Green By Chris Tribbey OS ANGELES — The program was made out of recycled paper, the ID badges were made of biodegradable materials and the gift bags for attendees were made of recycled billboards at the first-ever home entertainment Green Media Summit April 2. One of the speakers even helped to make the affair a carbon-neutral event — by not showing up. “Me presenting by telephone is very good for my carbon footprint,” said Zoe Riddell, VP of the Carbon Disclosure Project USA. “My only greenhouse gas emissions are from my breathing.” Numerous studio executives, DVD packaging representatives, and environmental experts hammered the point home: The home media industry can reduce its environmental impact in ways both large and small, and it doesn’t have to be difficult. The event was sponsored by DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group and the Entertainment Supply Chain Academy. “Eco-friendly is more than just a catch-all phrase,” said Bob Chapek, chairman of the DEG and president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. “It’s a commitment to think outside the box, be that box L OS ANGELES — Representatives from Gaiam, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video finished off the first-ever Green Media Summit April 2 with a discussion on their eco-friendly efforts, and whether they are noticed by consumers. Warner is taking a unique route with the upcoming release of The 11th Hour. The DVD will come in 100% recyclable packaging, and will have an “impulse buy” price of $5, said Tamar Dolgen, marketing director for Warner Home Video. Warner will donate part of the sale of every DVD to charity and will take a similar tact with the upcoming DVD release of Darfur Now. Previously, Warner included an environmental public service announcement at the beginning of Happy Feet. For Disney, which has its own small group of people at the corporate level dedicated to environmental practices, more digital distribution, better efficiency in packaging, and relaying a strong conservation message to the public are just a few steps the studio has taken, according to Gordon Ho, EVP of worldwide See STUDIOS, Page 36 L I Green Media Awards Presented DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group handed out its first-ever Green Entertainment Awards at the Green Media Summit at the Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles April 2. Winners were: I Evan Almighty (Universal), Best Green Bonus Features Evan Almighty I Bambi (Disney), Best Green Educational Tool I Number Ones (Universal Music Group), Best Green CD Packaging I Blu-ray Disc, Best Green Packaging I Futurama: Bender’s Big Score (Fox), Carbon-Neutral DVD Release of the Year I An Inconvenient Truth (ParaI Larry Wilk, VP of worldwide operamount), Pioneering Eco-Friendly DVD tions for Walt Disney Studios Home award Entertainment., Green Ambassador of I The 11th Hour (Warner), Best in Show the Year. corrugate, plastic or paper.” Every speaker agreed: From identifying waste along the DVD supply chain, to simple housekeeping at the studios — more efficient lighting, better building insulation, more recycling — being environmentally aware should be a part of the core business strategy in home entertainment. Going green is a popular theme across the business world, according to Dan Esty, a professor of environmental law at Yale University. Most large corporations have figured out that saving the environment is in their own best interest, he said. “The environment has become a strategic issue, a front-burner issue,” Esty said. “The risk for you all is that as an industry, you’ll be seen as not doing enough,” he said, adding that people won’t pick a Disney DVD over one from Sony due to who released it. “You’re an example where you all rise or fall together.” Along those lines, representatives from both Disney and Universal Studios called for industrywide stan- dards for reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. “More than half of our supply chain is energy use,” said Larry Wilk, VP of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Disney began studying the impact of its DVDs on the environment in 2006, with the goal of reducing its waste output by 25% in 10 years. Currently 34% of the studio’s carbon footprint from DVD can be found in the manufacturing and assembly process. The studio found that one DVD puts out 1.1 pounds of CO2, or the amount of impact one car has on the environment after driving one mile, Wilk said. But when you’re talking about 300 million DVDs, he added, the impact is the same as nearly 35,000 cars on the road in a year. Less plastic in packaging, less paper for the DVDs and fewer shipments are easy ways to reduce a DVD’s carbon footprint, Wilk said. Going green ultimately saves money as well, he added. “At the very end of the day, you understand green is good for your business,” said Lauren Zalaznick, chairwoman of NBC Universal’s Green Council and president of Bravo Media and Oxygen Media. MERCHANDISING Blu-ray Goes Exclusive Best Buy Alvin and the Chipmunks Fox; SRP $29.98, $39.98 BD Target $15.99 w/bonus disc $29.99 Blu-ray Wal-Mart $15.97 $19.96 w/music CD $29.96 Blu-ray Circuit City $13.99 $34.99 Blu-ray w/stickers Amazon.com $15.99 $27.95 Blu-ray $15.99 $22.99 w/plush set $29.99 Blu-ray w/plush set Sweeney Todd … Paramount SRP $29.99, $34.99 BD $16.99 $22.99 special edition w/movie ticket to The Ruins $16.99 $22.99 special edition $16.97 $24.96 special edition $15.99 $22.99 special edition $16.99 $22.99 special edition Harold & Kumar … (Unrated) New Line; SRP $19.98 $12.99 $14.99 $14.96 $12.99 $12.99 John From Cincinnati HBO Video SRP $59.98 $44.99 $44.99 $50.99* $59.98* $50.99 * Online Only By John Latchem s format war winner Blu-ray Disc begins to permeate the market, it has finally achieved a significant measure of recognition — as a way for consumers to pick up cool retailer exclusives previously limited to the standard DVD. And of the exclusives to get the new release week of April 1, Best Buy’s Alvin and the Chipmunks offered the best value for fans. Both the DVD and BD came in a gift set with plush versions of the three Chipmunks characters. The Best Buy in Costa Mesa, Calif., also joined with the chain-wide trend and removed all its HD DVD inventory from shelves, effectively doubling its Blu-ray shelf space. This included a special BD display in the checkout line. On the other hand, the Circuit City in Huntington Beach, Calif., had the same space devoted to BD and HD DVD, although HD DVD titles were sparse, about 25% of the number of Blu-ray titles on display. The store had a Sony BD player for sale in its upconverting DVD player section. Circuit City also had a nice display informing customers of the 2009 digital switch. A 10 Home Media Magazine April 6–12, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://Amazon.com

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Home Media Magazine - April 6-12, 2008

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