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Film Studios May Block DVD Rentals For One Month
Ponca City, We love you writes "The LA Times reports that in an effort to push consumers toward buying more movies, some major film studios are considering a new policy that would block DVDs from being offered for rental until several weeks after going on sale. Under the plan, new DVD releases would be available on a purchase-only basis for a few weeks, after which time companies such as Blockbuster and Netflix would be allowed to rent the DVDs to their customers. 'The studios are wrestling with declines in DVD sales while the DVD rental market has been modestly growing,' says Reed Hastings the CEO of Netflix. 'If we can agree on low-enough pricing, delayed rental could potentially increase profits for everyone.' Three studios have already tried to impose a no-rental period of about a month on Redbox, the operator of kiosks that rent movies for $1 per night, believing that Redbox's steeply discounted price undercuts DVD sales. Redbox has responded by suing the studios, seeking to force them to sell it DVDs simultaneously with competitors. Meanwhile, the company is stocking its kiosks with DVDs it can't otherwise obtain by buying them from retailers."
This may increase profits for everyone, except the consumer. How wonderful. Thanks Capitalism!
Let's see...Hollywood...huge contributor to one of the major political parties...
Seems to me that the political party I'm trying to remember might be significant somehow. Perhaps the Party of the Speaker of the House? President Pro Tem of the Senate? President of the Senate? President of the USA?
One of those guys anyway...
So chances are pretty good antitrust laws won't be used against them while whichever of those guys it is is still in office....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
I already waited for the rental rather than going to the theater. Hope it works out for them.
You're such a good soul! I, however, hope some rats gnaw off their balls.
You can't take the sky from me...
>>>Delay in distribution means more people pushed to torrents.
No because they are cracking-down on that avenue. I just received my 3rd copyright notice this past week (1 and 2 date back to Christmas 2008), and I've been told #4 will result in termination of my Verizon account. So bottom line: People will soon be faced with having to wait for the delayed DVD rental, or purchase it now.
Also:
This isn't the first time movie studios have pulled stunts like this. Back in the early 90s when VHS was king, my local video store told me I could buy Disney's Aladdin but it would cost $90. I asked why the outrageous price, and they explained the price is kept high for one month to encourage rentals..... and then dropped to a more-reasonable $25.
Movie studios are always trying to control the free market. Record companies too. They forced Walmart, Kmart, and other retailers to stop selling CDs at budget prices of $8 or $9, raise the minimum price to $13, or else the record companies would stop shipments. This continued from circa 1990 to 2000 when the U.S. DOJ stepped-in and sued the record companies for forming an illegal Cartel. (My family, collectively, received five checks of $19 each as settlements.)
You can't trust corporations. They are filled with avarice, love of money, and will do what is necessary to increase it.
Um, you get notices because you are a stupid idiot who didn't do his research on how to keep those from happening.
torrents are still going strong, but it's cool if the idiots (like you) think otherwise.
Did you bother doing any research on how to avoid those notices? If you had, you'd see it's really easy.
It's you beginner criminals that crack me up. Whats the difference between successful criminals and you? You assume your safe "because others are doing it". Successful criminals take the time to study what they are doing, learn how it works, then they do what they got to do.
oh, ya, you end up in jail right away, why the successful ones don't.
Be seeing you...