Comcast is going to war for same day film releases on TV. We get the news from the caves of Yahoo:
Comcast Corp., the biggest U.S. cable operator, has held talks with Hollywood studios to show movies on cable on the same day as they open in theaters, the company said on Monday as rivals also outlined plans for more premium content on television. Comcast Chief Operating Officer Stephen Burke told a trade show that subscribers could be charged $30 to $50 to watch an opening-day movie at home, narrowing the “window” between big screen and small screen debuts to nothing.
Theater owners have staunchly resisted any effort to cut the time between theatrical and DVD releases for fear that attendance would drop, while movie companies which get most of their profit from DVDs want a narrower window that would bring earnings forward and reduce the need for a second advertising campaign when a film is ready for home viewing.
I am all for this. Fuck the theatres, the people that watch it at home are the people that want to watch it at home. If this causes people to get together in groups at homes and cut into the theatre profits – too fucking bad. Why should roadblocks exist so theatres can make more money? If you want people in the theatres – make them attractive places to go.
People who prefer home viewing simply wait till the film is released on DVD. They do not go to the theatre, and I do not believe it is in the best interest of the studios to make them wait. You want to cut down piracy – make films available to people and pronto. Waiting in any way, shape or form is what causes people to seek out ways to get it now.
The theatres may not be a fan of this, but for the studios – it is the correct decision. If the theatres want to stay in the game the quality theatre is the way to go. People of foresight and innovation are working on these as we speak; I did an article about this today. Comcast has a right to fight for this, and I hope they win.
