Studios, it seems according to the BBC, are re-thinking their ideas of combating piracy, it actually looks like they are beginning to change their mindset. One of the ways they are thinking of is to bring forward DVD releases, in some regions to before that of the theatrical release.
“Right now theatrical is the main way we set values in these movies, and video is the first aftermarket,” Mr Meyer [Barry Meyer, chairman and chief executive of Warner Bros Entertainment.] said during a discussion held as part of the Milken Institute Global Conference on Wednesday.
“It might well be in certain territories it should be exactly the reverse – that theatrical is the added value.”…
…His sentiments were endorsed by Michael Lynton, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Peter Chernin, chairman and CEO of the Fox Group.
Mr Lynton said many would-be filmgoers preferred to wait for titles to be released on DVD instead of spending more money to see them in cinemas.
“Where piracy tends to thrive is where the consumer perceives that goods and services are not convenient and price is out of whack,” added Mr Chernin.
Wow, both these points of view are wildly refreshing, however I am concerned that they are only referring to markets like Asia and Russia, where you can often witness hand held recorded versions of the movie on sale while the film has just been released in the cinema.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, box office revenue in the US hit a record $9.5bn (£4.9bn) last year.
However, that figure was dwarfed by the estimated $24.5 billion (£12.7bn) in DVD and video rental and retail sales.
Phenomenal figures, but are they enough to sway the Studios? Perhaps in the markets that are really hit by this type of piracy, but will that ever extend further to the west, I seriously doubt it.
