Rich Fiscus
13 Jul 2007 21:27
Despite recent comments by Warner Home Entertainment Group president Kevin Tsujihara, most major studios aren't planning to change the delay between release dates for movies on DVD and Video On Demand.
Studio interest for earlier VOD releases ranges from Warner's very public tests that include releasing The Astronaut Farmer on both DVD and VOD earlier this week to Sony, the only studio that hasn't taken part in tests with Comcast to determine the results. Disney, Fox, Universal, Paramount, and Lionsgate have participated in the tests, but haven't released any results, although they have all incidated that the tests are inconclusive.
While it's possible that Warner's increased interest in VOD is related to their ownership of Time Warner Cable, although Warner president Ron Sanders points out that the current test they're running with Time Warner Cable was preceded by a test with Comcast. He also said he doesn't expect a major change in release timetable this year.
Source: Video Business