More on Delivery Systems

On Monday, I blogged about our changing delivery systems and, more specifically, about pending changes in the distribution of films. Two days later, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) addressed the subject in an article entitled "Movies May Hit DVD, Cable Simultaneously."

The WSJ addressed the subject I first raised in this blog on 10/30: Mark Cuban's experiment in releasing a film in his theatres, on DVD and through television at the same time.

Hollywood studios are also considering the idea. The WSJ names Walt Disney Co., Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers as the three studios most aggressively pursing the subject.

The studios face an uphill battle on both sides of the proposition. "[T]heater owners are furiously opposed to releasing films in any form earlier, arguing that such moves will hurt box office sales." Additionally, the studios face opposition from retailers. "Any test of the strategy would likely raise an outcry from retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that sell vast numbers of DVDs."

Despite the opposition, the studios "clearly feel a sense of urgency." As more and more opportunities become available for consumers to access entertainment quickly, no one wants to be left behind. Apple's recent move to provide television shows on their video-capable iPod didn't go unnoticed. At the Consumer Electronics Show, Google announced an initiative to provide CBS's programming on their website.

It's becoming a consumer's market--where the consumer is offered the option of seeing what they want where they want and how they want. As I've said before, writers need to keep this in mind as they consider the markets in which they want their material to be offered.

Stay tuned . . .