D2D News

Round one to Amazon as Netflix shares drop

Following Tuesday’s news that Amazon will be offering unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of movies and TV shows to its Prime members, Netflix shares (which have been on a slightly downward turn of late as it is) took a fairly dramatic hit, according to Business Insider. While the report conceded that Netflix subscribers are not likely to be fleeing to Amazon, “in the long run Netflix is going to have to deal with a tough new foe” was the observation. However, with streaming only a part of the Amazon portfolio, and video rental and streaming Netflix’s raison d’être, there are likely to be lines drawn in the sand before battle commences.

[caption id=“attachment_2218” align=“alignleft” width=“364” caption=“Netflix shares dropped after Amazon announced streaming”][/caption]

This follows Disney’s revision of its pricing strategy for Netflix and other kiosk businesses, with new titles being full wholesale price ($17.99 according to one report) on release and $10 six weeks afterwards, rather than the previous 28-day window.

The Amazon announcement stated that the streaming benefit will be free to its Prime customers, who pay $79 year for “all-you-can-eat free Two-Day Shipping”, which says the company, has attracted millions of members. “Adding unlimited instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows at no additional cost is a great way to give members even more value,” said Robbie Schwietzer, vice president of Amazon Prime.

The streaming service is in addition to the existing Amazon Instant Video service that provides content for purchase or rental on an à la carte basis. “In addition to now offering unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows to Amazon Prime members, we continue to offer all customers more than 90,000 movies and TV shows through Amazon Instant Video,” said Cameron Janes, director of Amazon Instant Video.

www.amazon.com

Stalking horse for Blockbuster

Rental giant Blockbuster, which filed for bankruptcy protection in the US last September, with a reported $1.4 billion in liabilities, has reported its intention to sell the company, and has entered into an asset purchase agreement with a “stalking horse” bidder, Cobalt Video Holdco. In addition, Blockbuster has filed a motion seeking authorization to conduct an auction process, whereby the Cobalt agreement would set the floor or minimum acceptable bid.

[caption id=“attachment_2202” align=“alignleft” width=“328” caption=”"An internationally recognized brand name"”][/caption]

This move, said Jim Keyes, Blockbuster chairman and CEO, will accelerate the Chapter 11 proceedings and move the company forward. “An auction will allow the Company to invite competing bids from both strategic and financial investors. This will also allow for the consolidation of ownership of the Company to those with a clear and focused vision for Blockbuster’s future.”

The purchaser, according to Keyes, would be able to take full advantage of Blockbuster’s many strengths. These include: “An internationally recognized brand name, an exceptional library of more than 125,000 titles, millions of loyal customers, and a multi-channel content distribution platform. Because of its ability to deliver physical content (through DVDs) and digital content (through streaming), Blockbuster can offer customers the unique ability to access any movie, any time.”

www.blockbuster.com

Cloudy with a chance of Disney

Disney continues to push forward on the digital delivery front and has released some details of its new Disney Studio All Access initiative, which, said head of distribution Bob Chapek, will “serve as consumers’ digital Disney vault, for the purchase, management and access of Disney content in one place across multiple devices”. It embraces a number of Disney services, including the cloud-based KeyChest digital vault.

[caption id=“attachment_2195” align=“alignleft” width=“256” caption=“A digital Disney vault for consumers”][/caption]

Last week, at Disney’s 2011 Investor Conference, Chapek unveiled the studio’s digital strategy for keeping up with the digital media landscape against the backdrop of the market challenges. He pointed out that the industry has seen a 21% drop 2005 to 2010 and, “The substantial Blu-ray growth and electronic sell-through and VOD growth has been insufficient to replace the DVD decline.”

Consumers face greater low margin rental and access alternatives to higher margin sell-through purchases, and there is free content online – all compounded by a recession in which people question discretionary purchases. Not to mention piracy. Bundled product, different windows and pricing structure post-exhibition, and encouraging the consumption of legitimate content were all ways in which the studio intends to commercialize its content to the fullest.

Chapek’s presentation followed introductory remarks from CEO Bob Iger, who said that technology has to be seen as an opportunity, not as a threat. It needed, he said, to be used to make product more compelling and get closer to the consumer. Embracing technology, has “changed the company and allowed more innovation”.

www.disney.com

USPS does its bit for disc recycling

The CD Recycling Center of America has given the thumbs-up to the US Postal Service as its preferred green partner for incoming shipments of CDs and DVDs submitted for recycling. Post industrial and distribution discs are generally shipped in via LTL and truckload freight, from record companies, movie houses and replication plants. But the thousands of individual packages that are being submitted by consumers and small businesses need to be directed to the best carrier with environmental sustainability accolades.

[caption id=“attachment_2173” align=“alignleft” width=“300” caption=“Doing everything they can to help Mother Earth”][/caption]

Lisa Bennett, president of the CD Recycling Center, stated: “We are so proud of our disc recycling programme and how large it has grown. The mail-in option is working well for our thousands of supporters that recycle their discs, and we realize curbside recycling cannot properly collect, sort, store and process a few dozen, hundreds, or even thousands of discs and does not properly recycle the #7 plastic that CDs and DVDs are manufactured from. We have zero landfill waste here at the centre, and we can achieve this by focusing just on CDs, DVDs and related packaging.”

The disc recycling service offered is free of charge, and the only cost is the postage to mail the discs in. “We applaud The CD Recycling Center for their worldwide efforts to help the earth’s environment,” said Tom Rizzo, corporate communications specialist for the USPS. “We are happy that our green Priority Mail packaging can facilitate this wonderful disc recycling initiative. As the recipient of dozens of environmental awards, the US Postal Service agrees that what’s good for the planet is also good for business.”

www.cdrecyclingcenter.org

MEDIA-TECH Asia update

The MEDIA-TECH Association (MTA) is returning to Asia for the first time since 2007 – a decision sparked by the fact that no media manufacturing trade show had been scheduled in the region for the coming year by any organization. The MEDIA-TECH Showcase & Conference Asia 2011 takes place March 15-16 at the Grand Hyatt in Macau, China, with a stated goal of addressing the main topics of concern in media manufacturing, particularly Blu-ray.

[caption id=“attachment_2168” align=“alignleft” width=“242” caption=“The Grand Hyatt, venue for the Asia show”][/caption]

“We’re anticipating 100 to 150 for the conference, and based on prior experience in Europe and North America, perhaps as many as 250 for networking,” managing director Bryan Ekus told Steve Traimon of Digital2Disc. “We expect between 20 and 30 exhibitors, and already have a good starting list.”

First confirmed exhibitors include from the US: Eclipse and ODC Nimbus; from Europe: Axxicon, DaTARIUS, dr schwab Inspection Technology, Oerlikon, and Singulus; from Asia: Anwell, Hanky, Mitek Lab, Nantong Yingbo Optics Technology, Pulstec, Sony Chemicals, UV Tech, and Wing Tech.

Among confirmed speakers, and their topics, are Dr Sebastian Knorr, imcube labs, Berlin: ‘2D-to-3D Conversion: Market Overview, Conversion Workflow and Basic Rules for Good 3D’; Tzuan-Ren (Stephen) Jeng, ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute), Taiwan: ‘Recent 3D Image Technology Developments in Taiwan’; and Jordan Selburn, iSupply Corp, El Segundo, CA: ‘Blu-ray in the Connected Home of Tomorrow’.

Other speakers include Judy Chan, Philips; Xiao Wu, Sony DADC; Takafumi Koike and Mikiya Hara, Hitachi; Rudolf Bieri, Oerlikon; Stephan Hotz, Singulus; Dr Leonhard Schwab, Schwab Inspection Technology; Jackie Chan, Infodisc; Donald Schaffer, Sony Europe; Thomas Hackl, DaTARIUS; and Michikazu Horie, Kagaku Corp.

A more detailed preview of this and the other MTA shows scheduled for the year is in Issue 5 of Digital2Disc, out soon.

www.media-tech.net

LG and YouTube partner on full 3D smartphone

The ‘superphone’ buzz from this year’s CES show has carried on into Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2011 in Barcelona, where LG unveiled its Optimus 3D, along with a partnership with YouTube to “provide a unique 3D mobile experience to users”. The upcoming Android-powered smartphones will enable users not only to capture and view 3D videos without glasses, but also to upload and share them instantly with others via YouTube.

[caption id=“attachment_2158” align=“alignleft” width=“300” caption=“3D technology - no longer reserved for the major Hollywood movie studios”][/caption]

“3D technology has traditionally been reserved for the major Hollywood movie studios,” said Francisco Varela, head of YouTube Platform Partnerships. “With the new LG Optimus 3D anyone anywhere in the world can shoot 3D videos, upload them to YouTube and share them with their friends. We’re excited to see the creative videos our community captures and shares with this new technology.”

The new phone will be available globally, starting in Europe early in the second quarter of 2011. “The Optimus 3D is LG’s newest flagship smartphone,” said Dr Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “It is our answer to two major pain points of the current 3D experience – limited mobility and specialized glasses. Furthermore, our partnership with YouTube will ensure that our customers can easily generate and access ample 3D content.”

www.lg.com
www.youtube.com

Toy Story, Alice, Khan pick up RAAM awards

At the 7^th RAAM awards in London the UK and Irish Cinema industry gathered to recognize and reward the best in Cinema exhibition and film distribution. In the distribution categories the top box office earner in 2010 was Warner Bros who picked up the Distributor of the Year Award, while Disney cleared the individual film categories with Toy Story 3 as the Top Movie and 3D Movie, sponsored by Dolby.

[caption id=“attachment_2150” align=“alignleft” width=“280” caption=“My Name is Khan won Foreign Language Movie of the year”][/caption]

Kudos for top IMAX Movie of the Year went to Alice in Wonderland, while Twentieth Century Fox won in Foreign Language Movie of the year category with My Name is Khan. In the independent Distributor category Entertainment One, distributors of Twilight picked up the top award for the first time.

Renowned independent film producer Lord Puttnam received the top International award for his significant contribution to the UK and international film industry. The award was presented by his friend, Oscar and BAFTA award winning film director Sir Alan Parker.

Tony Meehan, chairman of RAAM and the Awards jury, said: “This year’s awards evening was the best yet – to be able to honour David Puttnam in the company of Alan Parker and Jim Sheridan was an major plus. Their presence made the evening more memorable.

“The top movie awards are based on box-office performance and therefore must be considered as the definitive peoples’ choice of what the public want. The UK and Irish box office results for 2010 again exceeded £1billion which confirms that cinema is good value and is  enjoying protection from the current economic challenges both countries face.”

RAAM Management is a specialist cinema management consultancy serving the film and cinema sector in the United Kingdom and International markets.

www.raamawards.com

Lionsgate and Studiocanal in Miramax deal

Lionsgate, Studiocanal, and Miramax have announced today that they have entered into a long-term worldwide home entertainment distribution deal. Lionsgate and Studiocanal will distribute more than 550 titles from the Miramax film library via DVD, Blu-ray, EST and VOD, as well as cable VOD internationally. “With their expertise and success in the home entertainment marketplace, we consider both Lionsgate and Studiocanal to be the perfect partners to distribute these films,” said Mike Lang, CEO of Miramax.

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Lionsgate will partner with international distributor Studiocanal to distribute Miramax titles in the UK and Europe and, said Olivier Courson, CEO of Studiocanal, “We are pleased to expand our existing partnership with Lionsgate to encompass this exciting new venture with Miramax. “The Miramax library, he added, which features some of the best of American independent cinema, represents: “A wonderful mix of creative excellence, award winning films and commercial successes, and we believe it will resonate with European audiences.”

Lionsgate noted that the Company has achieved record library revenue for five consecutive years through a combination of organic replenishment and strategic acquisitions and distribution deals, despite a challenging marketplace. Steve Beeks, president and Co-COO of Lionsgate, said, “With our longstanding commitment and expertise in aggressively managing library titles, we are thrilled to bring together under one roof such Miramax film icons as Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, Pulp Fiction and Good Will Hunting with our existing classics such as Dirty Dancing and Monster’s Ball to create what is unquestionably one of the most powerful and prestigious filmed entertainment libraries in the world.”

The first home entertainment release under the deal will be The Switch in the US, a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, which will be released on Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and available for digital download on March 15.

www.lionsgate.com
www.miramax.com
www.studiocanal.com

Disney scoops six 3D awards

The second annual International 3D Society 3D Creative Arts Awards saw Disney collect five Lumiere Awards and the People’s Choice Award for an animated 3D movie with Toy Story 3, while Jay Baruchel was the recipient of the 3D Talent Award for his work as Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon.

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Buzz Hays, 3D Society chair and executive stereoscopic 3D producer, Sony 3D Technology Center of Sony Corporation of America, commented: “This is an important moment for 3D entertainment. Not only do the 3D Creative Arts Awards winners showcase the increasing breadth and calibre of this art form, but the event’s first-ever telecast will bring the excitement into homes across the country.”

Jon Landau of Lightstorm Entertainment presented 3D Society’s executive board Member Lenny Lipton, who is considered one of the recent fathers of 3D, the Century Award for Lifetime Achievement. Lipton has over 50 patents and 50 pending. Lipton invented the ZScreen, which is at the heart of today’s 3D theatrical projection.

Fourteen additional Lumiere Awards and two People’s Choice Awards in 3D were given out during ceremonies in which over 800 people, including leading entertainment industry producers, directors, talent, and technology company executives, were in attendance. Award-winning movies included:

• Live action 3D feature of the year: TRON: Legacy, The Walt Disney Studios
• Animated 3D FEATURE OF THE YEAR: How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks Animation
• Short 3D motion picture/narrative: Day & Night, Pixar
• Best 3D documentary: Hubble 3D, IMAX
• Outstanding achievement of 2D TO 3D converted feature: Alice in Wonderland, The Walt Disney Studios and Sony Imageworks
• 3D live event: Black Eyed Peas 3D: Live, AEG Live
• Best 3D scene of the year: Tangled, The Walt Disney Studios
• Best 3D stereography – live action: TRON: Legacy, The Walt Disney Studios
• Best 3D stereography – animated: How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks Animation

The People’s Choice award for a live action 3D movie went to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Walden Media/20th Century Fox

International 3D Society President Jim Chabin stated, “This year will be remembered as a watershed year in 3D production, and we are pleased to recognize these pioneers.”

www.international3dsociety.com

New BVA vice chairman

At February’s British Video Association (BVA) Council meeting members elected Paul Dempsey, managing director BBC Worldwide Home Entertainment and CEO 2entertain as the new BVA vice chairman, with immediate effect. This follows the departure of Steve Gallant, who had held that post since June 2009.

[caption id=“attachment_2132” align=“alignleft” width=“150” caption=“Paul Dempsey”][/caption]

Anthony Peet, BVA chairman and vice president, Home Entertainment at The Walt Disney Company, said, “I am delighted that Paul will be stepping into the position as our new vice chair, representing as he does BBC Worldwide’s video business across all formats and the largest UK-owned DVD publisher, and I am looking forward to working with him in 2011 and beyond.”

Lavinia Carey, director general of the British Video Association, added: “I would like to thank Steve Gallant for all his fantastic support and hard work representing the BVA‘s interests and wish him well in his new ventures. I, along with the rest of our Council, am looking forward to having the benefit of Paul’s experience and expertise in what I believe will be a very exciting year for the BVA.”

www.bva.org.uk