How will the disastrous economy affect the release of new catalog titles? (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

What are your thoughts? Will there be fewer, as studios cut back production due to slowing sales; or will there be an increase as studios turn out more catalog product in order to offer lower prices to lure those on strict budgets?

 

[Simon Howson]

Well, there has been a slow down hasn't there by Warner Home Video? They control a bit over a quarter of the market alone. If they are slowing their release schedule, then that is a good sign they are responding to changed economic circumstances.

How do Cory's release figures compare this year to last year? It seems like Warner have put out fewer titles, even though some of the releases have been great (The Jazz Singer, How the West Was Won UCE).

I do think it will make a big difference, if people don't have disposable income they can't buy, if they won't buy, the studios won't release as much.

It seems to be impacting on blu-ray too. I read somewhere that blu-ray has less of the entire home video (i.e. including regular DVDs) market share now than at the same time last year, when the blu-ray / HD-DVD battle was on.

 

[Simon Howson]

Fortunatley I don't have the silly UK customs taxes to deal with, but the Aussie Dollar is down about 35% compared with 2 months ago.

So I've cut back to just buying what I REALLY, REALLY want, instead of including a speculative blind buys as I was doing with the Oz dollar was close to parity with the US$.

 

[David_B_K]

Of course the disparity in currency cuts both ways. I ordered a UK DVD recently after having not ordered foreign releases in about a year.

 

[willyTass]

.

 

[Greg_M]

Well Circuit City is closing stores and filed for bankruptcy.

I haven't seen many catalog titles announced ever since Blu-Ray won the HD war

The only things companies like Paramount, MGM and Warner seem to be releasing are box sets of existing titles or new transfers of titles already issued numerous times in the past (I Love, Love, Love Audrey Hepburn - but Paramount has released "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Funny Face" three times now and I'm holding out for the Blu-Rays)

the economy will effect sales - but also the lack of new product due to Blu-Ray and HD TV. Once Feb 2009 hits I believe we will see a change

 

[Jeff_HR]

I buy almost exclusively catalog titles. If there are less to buy, then my $$$$
goes elsewhere. That simple!!

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Ditto. I have nearly zero interest in any current movies. But I'm happy to buy deep, deep catalogue.

 

[RickER]

Simon, i dont know what your reading, but i have just read the opposite of that. Over at the Digital Bits, and on Blu-ray.com they mention a report that says Blu-ray is up. I read here that Iron Man has sold about a half million discs in a week. It also seems that Batman may sell a million its first week!

 

[BillyFeldman]

While it's wonderful that a Blu-Ray site is touting the sales of Blue-Ray, it isn't true. Blue Ray is, in fact, going down the exact same road as laserdiscs at this point. And since you want to know what people are reading, there was a huge front page story in the Hollywood Reporter about the failure of Blu-Ray.

 

[RickER]

OK, well i guess you can believe your propaganda, and i will belive mine.

 

[Simon Howson]

Admittedly I read this about a month ago so who knows, things may be different now.

I am not suggesting that blu-ray is a dying format, just that it seems the economic down turn is going to slow its uptake. But in the long term I'm sure it will be the standard format all films are released in.

There are quite a few articles saying the market share declined:
http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-a...et-share-drops
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008...g-market-share

They all seem to reference the same Nielsen survey.

 

[RickER]

Now that i have no doubt. I am sure it hasnt hit where they hoped it will, yet. Its still above the curve that DVD was 3 years out. Its been said many times before, at 8 million PS3's and about 2 million stand alone players in the US, Blu has already beat LD. Also LD made it about 20 years, not bad, just a tad fewer years than the death of VHS. And that was in everyones home. But anyway, niche or not, the economy wont kill Blu-ray. It just slows the penetration into lower income homes (homes that probably dont have HDTV anyway). If someone is about to lose a job, or have a house in foreclosure, you have other needs beside TV and "toys".

 

[Brandon Conway]

???

There have been tons of catalog titles released on both DVD and BD since the beginning of the year.

 

[MielR]

I just heard today that videogame sales are up. Maybe it's escapism? If it is, that should bode well for video sales, too.

 

[JackKay]

Movies on disk, cheap entertainment

 

[Stephen_J_H]

A slowed economy will not likely affect DVD sales in a negative way. If anything, it's going to be the theme parks and other big ticket attractions that will suffer. As more people stay home, disc sales may increase and this "recession" may actually save the rental market. Blockbuster has been posting gains in all this turmoil. Make of that what you may.

 

[pantomime horse]

I would think that the economy would hurt ticket sales more than home video (DVD / Blu-Ray) purchases. I suppose we'll find out.

 

[seanOhara]

Are you including things like Casablanca: The Repackaging and Sabrina: Now with 15 Minutes of Special Features? Because if you exclude those, things are way down. Last year Warners was putting out two or three new box sets a month. Now we're lucky to get one.

 

[Brian Sharp]

At least we will be able to import up to £105.00 worth from December 1st. BBC NEWS | Business | Internet shoppers get duty break