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Sony Stalling Some Classic Shows: Why Sony Why? (1 Viewer)

DisneySwan1990

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Why is SPHE stalling some such classic popular shows as the remaining 2 seasons of Hart to Hart, the final season of Parker Lewis Can't Lose (we know its the licensed songs that's keeping it from seeing DVD release, although all seasons are available on DVD in Europe), the remaining 3 seasons of V.I.P, the remaining 3 seasons of Party of Five, and Hang Time?Now that they have a deal with Mill Creek to release their older shows to DVD, I think that they should reissue these shows completely unedited.
 

John Karras

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Sony has a long history of waffling back and forth. We're putting it out ourselves.....now we're not....now we're licensing....now we're not....now we are again....
In 1989, when Sony purchased Columbia, they claimed they saw great value in the merging of home video hardware with a huge software library...synergy is the buzzword. Several years later, Sony announced they were contemplating dumping Columbia....then changed their minds and kept it.

Keep your eye on Shout Factory for some Sony property announcements.
 

JMFabianoRPL

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Was it WB or Sony who had the unofficial "Seinfeld Rule" at one point? Meaning if the title did not outsell Seinfeld, it would not be continued?
 

TravisR

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^ You must have heard some misinformation. Maybe there's a few very rare exceptions but I can't think of any show (new and certainly not old) that Sony or Warners has ever released that would have outsold or even come close to Seinfeld so if that had been a guideline for continuing releases, they'd have never released another show.
 

bronson

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DisneySwan1990 said:
Why is SPHE stalling some such classic popular shows as the remaining 2 seasons of Hart to Hart, the final season of Parker Lewis Can't Lose (we know its the licensed songs that's keeping it from seeing DVD release, although all seasons are available on DVD in Europe), the remaining 3 seasons of V.I.P, the remaining 3 seasons of Party of Five, and Hang Time?Now that they have a deal with Mill Creek to release their older shows to DVD, I think that they should reissue these shows completely unedited.
"Hart to Hart" -remaining 3 seasons and not two.......
 

DisneySwan1990

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JMFabianoRPL said:
Was it WB or Sony who had the unofficial "Seinfeld Rule" at one point? Meaning if the title did not outsell Seinfeld, it would not be continued?
I knew about this so-called "Seinfeld Rule", even though its an myth, but if a non-current show doesn't sell million copies, they don't justify doing the remaining seasons, even though it costs the studio absolutely nothing to release it.But in the case of a show outselling Seinfeld, but has heavy music clearance issues, they can't move on either until they 1. seek clearance costs or 2. use soundalike versions of said copyrighted songs. but the latter is gonna be huge backlash, as in the case of WKRP.
 

Ron1973

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DisneySwan1990 said:
I knew about this so-called "Seinfeld Rule", even though its an myth, but if a non-current show doesn't sell million copies, they don't justify doing the remaining seasons, even though it costs the studio absolutely nothing to release it.

But in the case of a show outselling Seinfeld, but has heavy music clearance issues, they can't move on either until they 1. seek clearance costs or 2. use soundalike versions of said copyrighted songs. but the latter is gonna be huge backlash, as in the case of WKRP.
How do you figure that? It has to be transferred to DVD, artwork has to be made up for it, cases bought to house the DVD's, the equipment involved in transferring the tapes/film to a digital format and hopefully they've remastered them. That takes people and you have to pay them.
 

AndyMcKinney

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DisneySwan1990 said:
Why is SPHE stalling some such classic popular shows as the remaining 2 seasons of Hart to Hart, the final season of Parker Lewis Can't Lose (we know its the licensed songs that's keeping it from seeing DVD release, although all seasons are available on DVD in Europe)
Music licencing laws are different in the USA than they are outside, so you cannot simply assume it's should be no problem to put them out in Region 1. This is why Happy Days retained the original '50s music in the season 2/3 UK releases, but not in the US ones.

Also, apart from Hart to Hart and Party of Five, most of the shows you named in your original post could hardly be classified as "popular" (i.e. "mainstream" popularity) even when they were originally running. Most of the others (including Parker, which I watched and liked) could best be described as "modest" successes, not popular. Also, Hang Time was Saturday morning TV, so again, not exactly mainstream appeal.

By the way, I'm with Ron concerning your last post (#8). Your notion that it costs the studios "absolutely nothing" is completely ridiculous.

Also, you need to put your real first name where it says "real name" in your profile. You're not allowed to put a fake name there according to forum rules.
 

derosa

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Given recent examples, it seems that the only way some stalled shows are likely see the remaining seasons released
is unless the owners licence the entire series for a release as a complete set.
 

TVonDVDJunkie05

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Ethan Riley said:
Party of Five came out somewhere or other...
Party of Five has been completed. Sony released the first 3 seasons as full retail releases while seasons 4-6 were released MOD via Amazon.com.

It will be interesting to see if Mill Creek re-releases all 6 seasons or only the first three that Sony released in stores?!
 

TVonDVDJunkie05

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Keep your eye on Shout Factory for some Sony property announcements.
Are you referring to new acquisitions or continuation of existing properties that Shout! has previously released?! Shout has stalled out 10 Sony shows- what happened to Fantasy Island, no word about future releaes or why it was stalled in the first place?!

My guesses for possible new acquisitions are: Archie Bunkers Place, The Jeffersons, Maude (if they can release WKRP then they can release this series which I presume does not have as much music?!) and One Day at a Time.
 

Neil Brock

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Are you referring to new acquisitions or continuation of existing properties that Shout! has previously released?! Shout has stalled out 10 Sony shows- what happened to Fantasy Island, no word about future releaes or why it was stalled in the first place?! My guesses for possible new acquisitions are: Archie Bunkers Place, The Jeffersons, Maude (if they can release WKRP then they can release this series which I presume does not have as much music?!) and One Day at a Time.
You're batting .500!
 

John Karras

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TVonDVDJunkie05 said:
Are you referring to new acquisitions or continuation of existing properties that Shout! has previously released?! Shout has stalled out 10 Sony shows- what happened to Fantasy Island, no word about future releaes or why it was stalled in the first place?!
A mix. Shows that Shout picked up from Sony then stalled AND shows that only Sony put out then abandoned. You're on the right track with your guesses.
 

FanCollector

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Neil Brock said:
You're batting .500!
With my luck, his .500 will be the two longer running of the four series he named...Any hope of Hart to Hart? Of the many, many stalled Sony shows, that one really seems like it might have been worth some money.
 

UniversalPhan

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Studios aren't stalling releases. If a DVD release for a TV series doesn't sell, the studios simply stop releasing further releases of that show. Just because a studio isn;t releasing the rest of a TV series doesn't mean its stalled. Blame consumers for not buying TV show releases.
 

Jack P

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Neil Brock said:
You're batting .500!
But as far as what I'd be interested in buying that's drawing a collar. I would much rather see Shout finish what they started with "Fantasy Island" if we have to see work on a Sony property, and I would also much rather see "Hart To Hart" unstalled and finished (then that would just leave "Love Boat" from CBS for all my late 70s grails). I could probably at most from that list of four Lear titles only be persuaded to get S7 of "The Jeffersons" just to see their "Who Shot JR" parody episode.

This has always been the infuriating thing about Shout. They have too much of a track record of not finishing what they started, and for every title they've done right (Barney Miller, Dragnet, Adam-12, Bob Newhart) there are also those of us who are still not happy with "Ironside", "Marcus Welby MD", "Fantasy Island" (just as others are still wondering why they can't finish things off for "Rhoda" and "Mister Ed"). The Timeless label, even under Shout's control now, by contrast always seems ready to finish what they start no matter what.
 

TV_Fan

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Neil Brock said:
You're batting .500!
Really hoping it's Archie Bunker's Place & The Jeffersons. I would even buy a complete series of APB even though have the first season. If it's The Jeffersons I couldn't imagine Shout releasing a complete series right off the bat. I would not be happy if they did considering I already have the first six seasons. But I could see them doing a complete Maude and/or One Day At A Time if they release those.
 

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