Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008 - (Page 1)

APRIL 20–26, 2008 >> ELECTRO N IC DELIVERY Kilar at NAB: Content Anytime, Easy Not long after she went to By Dan Bennett the site, Kilar said, his mothAS VEGAS — When er “was knee-deep in ‘Alfred Jason Kilar and his Hitchcock Presents.’” team at Hulu.com Kilar was a keynote speaker were preparing to launch at the National Association a Web site offering instant of Broadcasters show held access to vast amounts of Kilar April 11-17 at the Las Vegas entertainment content, they wanted a site so simple to navigate Convention Center. The gathering that people could find what they emphasized content and put it on needed in 15 seconds or less. It would an equal level with the vast new have to be so easy to use, Kilar said, technologies sweeping the industry. that even his mother could manage. See NAB, Page 28 L BRINGING DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT TO YOU THE BIG PICTURE INSIDE >> Joint Venture CinemaNow, Technicolor offer catalog. >> Digital ‘Juno’ Oscar winner on iTunes. PAGE 9 2008 Off to a Good Start Blu-ray Disc buoys the overall market, lifting sales in the first quarter over last year By Thomas K. Arnold RESEARCH The home video industry received a rosy report card for the first quarter, with a surprising lift in consumer spending after two down years. Consumer spending on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs in the first three months of this year was up about 1% from the first three months of 2007, coming in at $5.51 billion, up from $5.46 billion in the first quarter of last year, according to Home Media Magazine market research estimates based on studio and retail data. Sales were up 2.3% to $3.47 billion, from $3.39 billion, while rental spending slipped 1.6% to $2.04 bil- Analysts Call Blockbuster, Circuit City Deal Bad Idea By Erik Gruenwedel RETAIL Wall Street reacted negatively last week to news Blockbuster Inc. had tendered a $6- to $8-per-share cash offer for consumer electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. Dallas-based Blockbuster, which sent the proposal by letter to Circuit City chairman and CEO Philip Schoonover Feb. 14, said it went public after Circuit City failed to respond and provide regulatory due diligence. The news sent Blockbuster shares falling and Circuit City’s climbing slightly as analysts attempted to come to terms with the proposal one called “boneheaded.” No. 1 DVD rental chain Blockbuster said publicizing the bid would make Circuit City shareholders aware of their options and give them an opportunity to determine “the destiny” of the company. lion, from $2.07 billion. The cheery sales picture also saw unit sales to consumers rise 2.6% to 231,928 units, from 225,999 units in the first quarter of 2007. And according to Nielsen VideoScan sales data, the nascent Blu-ray Disc saved the day for the sellthrough business, with DVD unit sales in the first quarter See 1st QUARTER, Page 28 The company said Blockbuster board member and largest shareholder Carl Icahn supports the move and a report said the maverick investor would back the deal financially. Icahn was not immediately available for comment. See BLOCKBUSTER, Page 27 TOP NEW LINE VIDEO EXECS ARE LAID OFF By Thomas K. Arnold (L-R): Snow Buddies, 101 Dalmatians and Enchanted contributed to a better-than-expected first quarter. The big layoffs at New Line Cinema — Time Warner is cutting 450 positions in New York and Los Angeles as part of its absorption — are reportedly hitting the home entertainment division hard, sources say. The majority of the home video operation’s staff and executives are being See NEW LINE, Page 26 SUPPLIER WARNER’S SANDERS: PREPARE FOR HIGH-DEF DISC EXPLOSION By Sam Andrews >> HIGH-DEF INSIDE >> On Display Blockbuster ups Blu-ray support. MAR KET S HAR E Blu-ray vs. HD DVD Sales Comparison as of 4/13/08 Blu-ray vs. DVD Sales Comparison* P ARIS — The home entertainment industry is on the edge of an explosion in high-definition software sales, but industry executives need to ensure the business has the manufacturing capacity to meet demand, said Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders during a keynote speech. Sanders, addressing more than 300 delegates at the annual PEVE Digital See PEVE, Page 27 Week Ended 4/13 14% Since Inception Week Ended 4/13 5% Uni Unveils Blu-ray Plans By Thomas K. Arnold eginning this summer with Doomsday, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release all of its new releases the same day on DVD and Bluray Disc, division president Craig Kornblau announced last week. The studio that was once Hollywood’s See UNI, Page 28 33% 86% >> PS3 Update V2.30 Firmware available. PAGE 8 67% 95% B I Blu-ray I HD DVD I DVD Source: Nielsen VideoScan: First Alert data * Top 20 BD unit volume vs. Top 20 DVD unit volume PEOPLE Industry veteran Mary Daily returns to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment as EVP of marketing, North America. NEWS Studios take aim at specialty Web sites that cater to collectors seeking cult content that hasn’t officially been released. RESEARCH Alvin and the Chipmunks, from 20th Century Fox, again tops the sales chart, while Paramount’s There Will Be Blood tops rentals. Page 4 Page 6 Page 22 http://Hulu.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008

Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008 Contents News Commentary TV DVD Horror Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008

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