Every day and in every way, movies are making their way to the Internet for digital delivery to viewers. The latest: online retail giant Amazon is in talks with Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers, according to this piece by the New York Times’ Richard Siklos.
The big difference with this latest twist is that Amazon wants to sell films that can be downloaded and burned on a DVD, something that Hollywood has long resisted. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the talks center on the ability of Amazon to sell some films online on the same day they become available via DVD, a move that would make films available online typically before they become available via cable in on-demand windows.
Both articles raise the idea that Hollywood is looking to check the growing power of Apple’s iTunes — specifically, the studios are working with Amazon to ensure that Apple has some competition in the video download sector. According to the Journal piece
But iTunes is also a worry. Studio executives watched iTunes become the dominant online music seller, giving it the leverage to stave off labels’ attempts to raise song prices; Hollywood wants to ensure more competition for their product, especially having gone through the headache of dealing with one retailer — Blockbuster Inc. — that dominated the movie-rental business over the past 20 years.
Cynthia Brumfield at 7:01 AM|Comments(0)
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