Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 - (Page 22)

ADVERTISEMENT PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT THE SHORT FILMS OF CONSTANTINE GIANNARIS MSRP: $29.95 Constantine Giannaris is the best known gay filmmaker in Greece. These three short films represent his best work to date. All three are thrilling, sexy and exciting. Filled with lovely boys, wonderful scenery and creative story lines, this is a must-have DVD for all collections. Order Date: 12/18/07 Street Date: 1/8/08 NEWS By Chris Tribbey RETAIL Retailer CompUSA will close its last 103 stores following the holiday season. The Dallas-based company made the announcement Dec. 7, after it had been acquired by investment firm Gordon Brothers Group LLC. Gordon Brothers Group said it was in discussion with various parties regarding the sale of CompUSA’s assets. “An orderly and expedited wind-down and asset sale process is the best option for CompUSA and its creditors at this juncture,” said Bill Weinstein, a principal at Gordon Brothers www.homemediamagazine.com CompUSA Shutting Down Group who will act as interim president of CompUSA. “We are focused on assuring that CompUSA’s creditors, landlords and other key constituents are treated properly during this process.” “We worked long and hard with Gordon Brothers Group to achieve a business solution that maximizes CompUSA’s assets,” said CompUSA CEO Roman Ross. CompUSA, which sells electronics, software and DVDs, was founded in 1984 and previously operated stores under the Good Guys label before closing those stores in 2005. Wattles Wants Hollywood Video Back Continued from page 1 CLASSIFIED SHOWCASE B R O W S E R D I S P L AY CO M P U T E R S O F T WA R E The stores, operated by Wattles’ Boards Video Company LLC, generate about $30 million in annual revenue and employ about 400 people, according to a Dec. 11 filing by Boards Video with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Virginia. The objection was in response to a Nov. 28 motion by Gallery that sought to reject the license. Wattles claimed that failure to operate his stores under the Hollywood name would negatively impact the businesses. Wattles has personally guaranteed many of the stores’ leases and faces about $19 million in costs should the stores cease operations, according to the filing. The Wattles-owned Hollywood Video stores have resulted in more than $600,000 in annual royalties (2% quarterly) and $385,000 yearly in distribution fees paid to Gallery since 2003. Gallery earned more than $1 million in fees this year, according to court records. According to the 2001 agreement between Wattles and Hollywood Entertainment Corp., parent of Hollywood Video, the then-CEO had the right to force a sale of his stores to Gallery. Gallery or Wattles never agreed on a purchase price for the stores, and in March Wattles demanded arbitration to resolve the matter, which is currently on hold, stayed by the court. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 18. B RIEFS I ‘POTTER’ MIX UP The flames of the format war got a little hotter this week thanks to a mix-up with some Blu-ray Disc collections of the Harry Potter: Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set. Some consumers reported that instead of Blu-ray, their collections included an HD DVD for Goblet of Fire. Warner Bros. customer service representatives were unsure whether a replacement disc would be shipped or if an exchange program would take place. However, many consumers reported that the stores from which they purchased the collection were making accommodations. — Chris Tribbey Nielsen VideoScan captures point-of-sale data from most major DVD retailers, but does not include Wal-Mart, which accounts for about 40% of total DVD sales. — Thomas K. Arnold I SHAKIRA TURNS BLU Sony BMG Music Entertainment Dec. 18 releases Shakira: The Oral Fixation Tour, the Columbian pop diva’s first music video on Blu-ray. The 26-song disc ($29.98) showcases Shakira’s 36-country world tour. Bonus material, also shot in HD, features a 20-minute documentary on Shakira’s nonprofit organization, a five-minute behind-the-scenes video, three bonus videos and six audio CD songs. — Erik Gruenwedel I ZUNES COME UP SHORT BUSINESS SERVICES Microsoft Corp.’s Zune 80 Portable Media Player is in short supply or backordered at such retailers as Amazon.com. It’s likely because of caution on the part of Microsoft, said Chris Crotty, senior analyst for consumer electronics at iSuppli Corp. — Billy Gil I ADULT, SPORTS SPEARHEAD BURGEONING ON-DEMAND MARKET Sexually based content is projected to drive ondemand market revenue to $6 billion over the next five years, according to a new study. The video-on-demand (VOD) report by SNL Kagan found that adult content represented 30% of ondemand revenue, followed by event pay-per-view (PPV) at 24%. Typical PPV events include boxing, wrestling, ultimate fighting and rock concerts. Remaining on-demand content drivers include movies and TV programming, according to SNL Kagan analyst Wade Holden. The report, which claimed 95% of current VOD content is free, said average monthly on-demand expenditures are projected to climb to $5 by 2010 and reach $6.56 per month, or nearly $79 annually, over the next 10 years. — Erik Gruenwedel I WARNER WINS IN NOVEMBER DI STR I B UTOR U S E D TA P E S & D V D S Warner Home Video, in tandem with its distributed labels, New Line and HBO, won the DVD sales market share derby in November, capturing 23.1% of sales tracked by Nielsen VideoScan. Sony Pictures, powered by Spider-Man 3, took No. 2, generating 15.5% of the share. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment narrowly edged out Paramount Home Entertainment for third place, with a little more than 13.8%. Finishing fifth with 13.6% was 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, while Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Lionsgate had 8.4% and 2.6%, respectively. 22 Home Media Magazine December 16–22, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://Amazon.com http://www.corporate.com http://www.rapidrental.com

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Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 Contents News Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007

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