Home Media Magazine - September 16-22, 2007 - (Page 14)

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY Air Guitar Nation www.homemediamagazine.com Report: Global Downloads To Top $1.3B by 2011 By Erik Gruenwedel some observers were expecting, but still represents a s the industry continues to seek elusive prof- positive in a stagnant packaged-media market. itability in electronic delivery, a new report says “It is becoming increasingly apparent that people want the global market for movie downloads will grow to watch films they’ve downloaded on their large-screen slowly, reaching $1.3 billion by 2011. TVs and home entertainment systems,” Amel said. “To London-based Screen Digest says $720 million will be do that, they need a new device, such as an Apple TV, an generated in the United States, with $572 million pro- Xbox, a PS3 or a plain old media extender, which can duced in Western Europe. Studios and content holders link their broadband connection to the TV set.” will account for $530 million in the Amel said the notion that conUnited States and $405 million in sumers will watch a three-hour Europe. Third-party download servmovie on the PC just isn’t realistic. ices and hardware manufacturers “It will take time to reach a wider will generate the remaining $365 «IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY market penetration with these new million. APPARENT THAT PEOPLE WANT devices, and we believe that this will The report said the studios’ comstart to become more mainstream TO WATCH FILMS THEY’VE mand of high margins on their conbeyond 2011,” he said. DOWNLOADED ON THEIR tent, especially new releases, will ac- LARGE-SCREEN TVS AND HOME Amel said the studios are apcount for more than 70% of the elecproaching digital distribution with ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS.» tronic retail price. As a result, for separate strategies that in the short ARASH AMEL, SCREEN DIGEST many third-party service providers term will result in a fragmented and consumer electronics manufacturers, movie down- market and hinder growth. loads will become a low-margin business often used as He said some studios will adopt a day-and-date stratemarketing tools and loss leaders, said the report. gy for film releases, making content available across all Companies with strong hardware propositions such as platforms on the same day, from DVD to downloads. Apple, Microsoft and Sony likely will be the most able to Others, he said, will continue with different release absorb the studios’ wholesale cost and succeed nonethe- dates depending on the delivery medium. less, the report predicted. “How the studios react is crucial,” he said. “It’s a deliScreen Digest said the online digital movies market cate balancing act between maintaining their relationwill represent 3% of all movie home entertainment rev- ships with their highly important DVD customer base enue in the United States and Western Europe by 2011. — the powerful retailers such as Wal-Mart and Britain’s Senior Screen Digest analyst and report author Arash Tesco — while meeting growing consumer demand for Amel said the percentage growth might be smaller than immediate online downloads.” BRIEFS I FUTURE OF EURO TV STILL IS ON TV Europeans still watch the telly — according to a new study, only 20% will be viewing content on demand by 2012. The study, by global business consultancy Bain & Company, said the European video content market, currently worth 123 billion in Euros (more than $170 billion), is growing 4% to 6% annually. However, the same study said there is little evidence showing online video is cannibalizing TV viewing, which averages more than 3.4 hours a day and is still growing in most European markets. The study also said Internet TV in Europe will have to compete with other, often superior, viewing formats such as IPTV and high-definition TV. – Billy Gil New Video Has New Distribution on iTunes By Erik Gruenwedel ew Video, the DVD distributor for A&E Home Video, said beginning this month it will offer 10 documentaries on Apple Inc.’s iTunes, including film festival award winner Air Guitar Nation. The film follows two aspiring rock stars who battle to reign as the “greatest air guitarist in the world.” New York-based New Video will also bow on iTunes the documentaries Andy Goldsworthy: Rivers and Tides; Hacking Democracy; Marshall University: Ashes to Glory, about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that claimed the Marshall University football team; Touch of Sound; The War Tapes, which features footage shot by U.S. soldiers in Iraq; The Weather Underground, about a 1970s radical group that waged domestic terrorism against the U.S. government; and The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. N I APPLE IPHONE SALES TOP 1M Apple Inc. said it sold its one-millionth iPhone Sept. 9 — 74 days after the launch of the combination cell phone, widescreen iPod music player and Internet browser. The Cupertino, Calif.-based computer giant said it took almost two years for iPod to reach the same sales milestone. – Erik Gruenwedel I ‘PROM QUEEN’ GETS A DATE “Prom Queen,” the 90-second-anepisode serial that helped put Michael Eisner’s nascent Web-based media studio Vuguru on the map, has spawned a spinoff series, “Prom Queen: Summer Heat.” The 15 new two-minute episodes running this month pick up after prom night with new plot lines and characters. Distribution channels include online sites Bebo, MySpace, YouTube, Veoh, Verizon Wireless V Cast Video, Imeem, Revver and Blinkx. – Erik Gruenwedel Koch Goes Burn-on-Demand By Chris Tribbey olar Frog Digital, a burn-ondemand kiosk company, has picked up rights to Koch Entertainment’s DVD catalog. The agreement will put Koch’s library in Polar Frog’s MediaIgloo burn-on-demand kiosks, where consumers can burn and buy DVD titles on the spot, or have them shipped home. “We are looking forward to having distribution rights to Koch’s extensive media library and expanding our existing library,” said Polar Frog CEO Todd Rosenbaum. Koch president Michael Rosenberg said: “Burn-on-demand is a booming industry and we look forward to being at the forefront of this emerging technology.” Georgia Rule TOP ONLINE TITLES P Apple to Take Bite of Rentals? By Chris Tribbey pple and several movie studios are reportedly in talks to launch a movie-rental service from the iTunes store, according to several news outlets. The reports state that Apple would begin offering the rentals in the fall, with a $2.99 fee for a 30day rental. iPod and iPhone users would be able to download the movies. However the movies would not be viewable on nonApple products, according to the reports. Week ended September 10, 2007 TITLE STUDIO ELECTRONIC SELLTHROUGH I DISNEY BREAKS ITS ONLINE TRAFFIC RECORD Disney.com, among the top family and lifestyle Web sites, broke its all-time traffic record in August, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. The site reached 20.3 million unique visitors in August, up 24% from 2006 and 12% from July 2007. Disney.com, which relaunched in February, also was honored as one of the top five sites on AdweekMedia’s Digital Hot List, published in early September. The list honors sites that show substantial and consistent growth, as well as technological innovation and buzzgenerating content. – Billy Gil Georgia Rule RENTAL DOWNLOADS Universal Fox Apple already has agreements with Paramount, Disney, MGM and Lionsgate and offers their movies on the site for around $10$15 for older titles, and $12.99 for new titles the week they’re released on DVD. The reports state The Financial Times could not receive confirmation directly from the studios. However the technology Web site www.engadget.com reported that Apple accidentally let loose a screenshot showing how users could report problems with the rental movies. Gray Matters Week ended September 9, 2007 TITLE STUDIO ELECTRONIC SELLTHROUGH Wild Hogs RENTAL DOWNLOADS Dis./Touchstone Universal Hot Fuzz FOR COMPLETE CHARTS, PLEASE SEE PAGE 27 Home Media Magazine September 16–22, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.engadget.com http://www.engadget.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - September 16-22, 2007

Contents News Commentary TV DVD Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Christian Entertainment Review

Home Media Magazine - September 16-22, 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.