tvshowsondvd (Any info on Roswell?) (1 Viewer)

[Lizzy]

Hello---

OK, I found this forum through tvshowsondvd.com and I was wondering if this forum is a part of that site, or just linked from it?

Because I was hoping that somebody could explain to me in laymen's terms the deal with what needs to happen in order to get a tv show realeased on DVD.

The TV show in question is Roswell. From what I understand, there is some contract with FOX or FOX needs to release the rights or something.

Could someone explain what steps need to happen before it will be released on DVD?

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Welcome to the forum!
Usually it's a sticky issue with completely different situations on a series by series basis.
You should have tried a search to see if there has been any existing discussions, since there have been a few:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=44347
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=31015
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=48058
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=40794
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=32661
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=27781
As it says in the "READ THIS FIRST" post in the basics area, a search is always a good first step.
-Vince

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Lizzy. Welcome to HTF.
Well, Vince nailed it.

 

[David Lambert]

Yes, Vince really DID nail it.
It's pretty complicated, once the ball gets rolling. As Vince states, there are all KINDS of legal issues that must be cleared.
Ownership issues and syndication deals are just part of the tangle. Music rights and product placement can be huge factors. Guest appearances can cause their own nightmare, especially if the guest appearance is a crossover from another show (a good "Roswell" example will be the episode that took place on the set of UPN's Enterprise this last season...which I missed, incidentally! :frowning: ).
Then there's the materials' condition situation, which is plaguing the older items of course. Shouldn't be much to worry about with Roswell yet, though. One would assume, anyway!
The part that TVShowsOnDVD tries to be a part of is interest level. Nothing will ever come out on DVD if noone wants to buy it, and if the owners, producers, and studios don't know their series are in demand then they surely won't muck about with committing them to DVDs. That's why Gord set up the voting.
Roswell is easily the most popular series in terms of votes over at TVShowsOnDVD. I don't think Fox needs any more help from us to figure out that this could sell big-time on disc. Fox VP Peter Staddon tells us the real story with this line that Vince quoted: "There are issues with the clearances of some of the material in Roswell that make it difficult to release a complete season on DVD". Fox is pretty well committed to the season-set format on DVD, so I don't see them compromising with Roswell down to best-of discs, even as a temporary measure.
I think that - in my personal opinion - Fox has "smelled the money" ( ) and is most likely working on clearing up the various issues. Will it be a big priority? Doubtful. Will it happen? Certainly, in my mind.
Patience, young Jedi! In the meantime, I've shot a note to Gord asking if he has anything to add. Perhaps Mr. Staddon will see this thread himself and speak up on the current status...but he's pretty busy so don't get your hopes up TOO high on that. Thanks for coming to join us on HTF, where Gord was inspired to create his great site. I hope you stick around, and we can talk more TV-on-DVD, and some films and other cool stuff, too!
Edit: PS - I just realized that you run the "I, The Stud" Roswell fan page, which is linked to TVShowsOnDVD. Gord and I appreciate that! And hopefully this thread will produce a response that you can take back to your site's users with something more solid.
Vince, is it possible to move this thread to the HTF Software section, so it can get more views and perhaps a response from others who might know something?

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Moved to Software.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I believe the major hurdle is the music rights

Buffy has used mostly unknown bands, and I believe most if not all contractual problems were taken care of for the original broadcast. Joss basically used the show as a forum to promote small bands he and the rest of the crew liked, and in exchange for the music the band got free major national exposure

Pretty good trade-off if you ask me

Meanwhile, from what I understand, Roswell used major bands and major songs, many of which were not cleared for DVD. I'm sure they're going to try to give it a run on FX or Sci-Fi before they do DVDs too.

 

[David Lambert]

Darn that Riker for not securing anticipating the DVD future of his series!

[picard]You must always secure the digital musical clearances, Number 1! In advance. Do TRY to do better next time.[/picard]

Thanks for moving the thread, Vince. I see that I got a note from Gord this morning to the effect that he's had computer troubles which should now be cleared up, so as soon as he gets through catching up on some other stuff he'll look in here and see if there's anything more to say on his end.

 

[EricCr]

Sci-Fi bought the rights to air the show in a package deal with I think X-Files. They have a habit of buying shows and sitting on them till they feel interest is high so it may be a while before they see the light of day.

 

[Gord Lacey]

Like a lot of WB shows, Roswell used 2 or 3 popular tunes in each episode. Yikes!

It would be interesting to see how contracts are done for new shows these days. I wonder if the home video rights are being included in the inital contracts so these problems don't arise in the future.

The frustrating this is there's no "normal" fee for having a song on DVD. The bands or labels can charge whatever they want, basically taking a show hostage. Imagine if Dido wanted $5 million for the song used in the opening. Fox could pay it or they could strip the song and piss off every fan of the series. It's a very unfortunate situation, and as Vince pointed out, it's keeping quite a few good shows off DVD.

Gord

 

[Jeff Kleist]

The standard fee for movie use is around $10,000 I think, I'm guessing it's around the same for TV

 

[LarryDavenport]

Music rights aside, I am curious about how releasing a complete season (by season sets) would devalue a show's syndication price. As much as DVD has caught on with J6P, I still think we are somewhat of a niche product.

Let say that a Buffy or Friends box set averages $50 (give or take) and one million units are sold (which is probably unlikely). That's $50 million net (somebody with knowledge could breakdown what the actual profits are).

The population of the US (according to the 2000 US Census) is 281,421,906. Meaning less than a third of 1% of the population (or potential viewing public) would buy the box set, though enough people would buy it for the studios and artists to make money.

I would think that they would make money both ways and there is really no valid argument to wait until a show goes through the sydication process.

Meaning, I want my complete Buffy, Friends, Angel, Due South, and Six Feet Under NOW!

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Larry,
I think a bigger issue is a perception of loss in value. You may very well be correct, but like the stock market- Hollywood is often dictated by the perceptions of value over actual reality of value. In negotiation to buy the rights for syndication, a company could always argue the property is not as valuable because there is another source (or that serious fans who make up a portion of the audience, will likely buy the DVD instead- and regardless of real numbers, there is a perception of an impact)...
Much the same way movies which are run repeatedly on Cable movie channels are seen as less of a commodity -- or films which have been run of network TV...
The point being, some might think that consumers would avoid syndicated programming, even if they never bought the DVD, simply because they could be thinking "I can buy that anytime." I'll watch Frasier instead of Friends, cause I can always buy that Friends DVD...
Again- in reality I agree with you, but the industry doesn't always play in the same reality we exist within.
-Vince
PS: I wondered if Lizzy ever saw all the replies?

 

[Lizzy]

I'm back..and yes I saw the replies. I very much appreaciate all that you have answered.
I didn't realize that so many other Roswell fans had been asking the same question, but it doesn't really surprise me. TV Guide.com has been quoted with "We're not saying anything mean because Roswell fans scare us a little." It's the truth...we can get a little annoying if you ask me. I did skim through the last couple of pages in this forum to see if there was a thread similar to my question, but none jumped out at me.
So, sorry for bringing up an old topic, and thanks a whole bunch for answering my questions with such detail.

 

[David Lambert]

Don't apologize too much; I think it was good to clear the air a bit and in the process I think we've established a "definative" (When) Is Roswell Coming to DVD? thread!

"Don't listen to me, I never do." Doctor Who

Ah, a fan of the good Doctor, too! Are you as excited as I am about the upcoming box set for The Key To Time?

 

[Lizzy]

I'm still hoping for my mom to buy the VHS releases of a couple episodes. I am only 15 years old and can't buy anything over the internet without her credit card. Hehe
But I have seen many eps through a local station and we have them all recorded.

 

[David Lambert]

Which couple of episodes, and are you Region 1 or elsewhere?
I ask because the Restoration Team has been behind most of the DVD releases so far, but very few of the VHS releases are officially restored items.
Here is a list of all the DVD releases (taken from TVShowsOnDVD, so you probably already are aware of it):
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releaselist.cfm?ShowID=4939
Androids Of Tara 10/01/2002
Ark In Space 8/06/2002
Armageddon Factor 10/01/2002
Key To Time: The Complete Adventure 10/01/2002
Pirate Planet 10/01/2002
Power Of Kroll 10/01/2002
*Remembrance Of The Daleks 4/02/2002
Ribos Operation 10/01/2002
*Spearhead From Space 9/11/2001
Stones Of Blood 10/01/2002
*The Caves Of Androzani 4/02/2002
*The Five Doctors (Special Edition) 9/11/2001
*The Robots Of Death 9/11/2001
Tomb Of The Cybermen 8/06/2002
(* = already released; others are "coming soon")
If any of the stories you want are listed above, get them on DVD for sure!
If the story you want isn't scheduled to be on disc yet, add your vote for your favorite stories at Link Removed (Key To Time is #1 on the results, natch! ).
For news about the latest developments, a great place to check is http://www.doctorwhonews.com.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I think the best shot at Roswell on DVD will be after it finishes at least 1 run on SciFi. That seems to be the magic formula. Fox is quite aware of the desire for the show, and I'm sure it's not a question of if but when

 

[David Lambert]

Wow. THIS is an old thread that I dug up quite accidentally!
While I'm here, though, it makes sense to me to make sure everyone knows about the latest updates: Roswell is coming next February-ish, but at least some of the music will be changing on the DVD release. Read that link for all the details (Gord's the man).

 

[florence franks]

Hmm as long as they bought opening dido song I see no huge problem then. If not god help them, going to need it.

 

[Jim Beaver]

I don't understand this music rights thing. I can kinda get old shows like Miami Vice having problems but how is it that Buffy which has tons of music is ok and can be released no problems but a show like Roswell or Freaks & Geeks which came out at the same time seem to have this huge problem. I was never a fan of either show but i think they should be released just as bad as the next one.

It sounds silly to me.