Blockbuster Weeps As Comcast Offers On-Demand Films Same Day As DVD Release
from the demand-it-and-it-will-come dept
Comcast has been beefing up their video-on-demand offerings this year, launching several barely exciting initiatives such as politicians holding babies on demand and high-definition art on demand. With the popularity of VOD content exploding, they've gained some negotiating leverage with major studios, and are now exploring the possibility of offering on-demand movies the same day they come out on DVD, for the same price as a traditional rental. Tinkering with the sacred institution of theater film release windows traditionally hasn't sat well in the industry, so it will be interesting to see if Comcast has enough financial muscle to move this out of two city (Pittsburgh and Denver) trials. This 30- to 45-day gap that exists between DVD release and VOD release is the bread and butter for brick and mortar retailers like Blockbuster, but becomes increasingly absurd with the growth of VOD and on-line distribution. What is the point of such a release window when the goal is to reach the maximum number of viewers? Just give the users what they want, when they want it, in the format they demand.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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b&m stores will be destroyed by 2010!!!
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And Still
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How about TV on demand
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in the format they demand ...
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VOD Doesn't Have The Selection?
The suggestion that a Brick and Mordor store has better selection than a VOD service is an opinion stuck in 2006.
It's like saying Pop's Corner Bookstore has more books than Amazon.com.
In fact, one of the main benefits of VOD and digital delivery is access to the "long tail" of content. For now, Comcast and friends are limited in what they offer, but VOD has the ability to offer basically any movie ever made, at your home, when you want it...for a price. A VOD retailer is like a video store with unlimited floor space. Within a couple of years, the business models will flesh out, and the content will become more available. There are already numerous stores selling old films on the Internet.
Block and Buster stores are always limited to the square footage they lease...more and more of which is devoted to DVD sales, games, and candy.
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But I wanna watch it next week too!
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Re:
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Why be scared?
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I Want My VOD...now dammit!
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