Question:
The new edition of Total Film explains the Warner Bros / rental shops row:
"In a move which has caused much gnashing of teeth among the likes of Blockbuster and Primetime Video, Warner has announced that, starting with Training Day, their videos will be released for sale at the same time as they become available to rent - thus closing the lucrative 'exclusive rental window' for the shops."
Funny, I thought it was because Warner were raising prices for the rental editions of their discs and that they'd never had a rental window. But I'm not a journalist so what do I know?
That's almost as good as the BBC online story about "24".
They still insist (despite my emails correcting them!) that the DVD contained too much footage and that is why Fox are offering to replace discs 5 & 6. :nuts:
(it's because the journalist in question can't read a statement correctly!)
Talking of inaccuracies, did you not read the rest of the paragraph then?
"... Plus they're banning the sale of ex-rental VHS tapes. This policy has been in place for months on DVD but with an added move to hike up the price of rental discs, companies have had enough"
Scott
Well i work at Choices video and the reason we were given is that because of the success of Harry Potter coming out the same day to rent/buy Warner Brothers want to do this for all of their films, as a result they also don't want ex-rentals to go on sale, instead they want them sent back to where they came from, plus they hiked up the charges.
So it isn't that inacurate really.
Originally posted by GrossePointeJack
Well i work at Choices video and the reason we were given is that because of the success of Harry Potter coming out the same day to rent/buy Warner Brothers want to do this for all of their films, as a result they also don't want ex-rentals to go on sale, instead they want them sent back to where they came from, plus they hiked up the charges.
So it isn't that inacurate really.
Warner Bros DVDs have always come out the same day to rent and buy. They've never had a rental window like most other distributors. The only change is that they're now charging rental shops 2 or 3 times as much for the rental version as you and I would pay for the same disc.
It is a combination of all three issues that are causing the problem. The video rental stores probably could live with the price hike IF there was a rental window and they could then sell on their surplus stock once the disc goes sell-thru. However, in the absence of a rental window they will lose rental customers (particularly on blockbuster titles like Harry P) and are unable to realise their investment in the discs by selling them on at the end of their useful rental life.
Also the article refers to VIDEOS when dealing with rental windows. While your statement is correct DVD's are not mentioned in that part of the article.
Scott
Ah well, who wants to pay nearly 4 quid to rent a blockbuster Warner title, when you can buy it from America for a tenner.... months ahead of the UK date.
That way you can watch & keep, or , watch & sell + make profit.
As I did with 'Collatoral Damage'.
Easy.
Oh ok, I almost forgot there was such a thing as VHS. How quaint that they still make them.
Our store/company were willing to pay the higher price, but only if we could sell the stuff as ex-rental which they refused to grant us, so we didn't do it. Though all the other rental DVD/VIDEO's we get we're allowed to sell on.
If a company pays in full for the product, who the hell are Warner to say what happens with it afterwards ?
Unless theyve turned back the clock to the early Rental Only system, pre 1984 (Showing my age now), or some sort of Buy Back Scheme.
Either way, it wont work.
Not only that, their DVD's for sale (Training Day) here in the UK, are starting to resemble EV product with all the crap on the back, in a nice yellow box about Sale only etc.
First Warner haven't banned the sale of ex rental product. They have used existing European laws to restict it sale, no film is allowed to be sold less than 8 weeks after it's release date. This is in direct response to Blockbuster flooding the market with dirt cheap ex rentals 2 weeks after release and therefore killing the official sell through product sales.
They are not charging 2 or 3 times as much. We pay 19 pounds for a warner dvd, they used to cost between 10.81 and 13,61 depending on retail price. Hardly an extortionate raise.
Warner brothers have NEVER had a rental window on dvd. They have however abolished the rental window for VHS. (Which smells so who cares)
Choices are now the most hated company in rental, even more than warner, after warner cut them a deal so they would get rental titles cheaper than everyone else so they would break thier boycott. This has caused most dealers to extend their boycott to Mosiac Movies (owned by the same company as choices) as well as all warner product.
Blockbuster titles like Harry potter, Matrix, etc don't get rental windows anyway, so we're not losing out there except for paying a tenner more for the tape but we make so mch on a huge title like that that it doesn't hurt us much.
The boycott includes ICON films as well as they are distributed by warner and have agreed to the price changes so you local blockbuster will not be stocking we were soldiers.
The crunch will come in October. Warner are releasing a load of high profile titles all at once. This will cause other distributors to hold back titles till november as everyone wants to be no.1 in their first week so warner will be responsible for half the high profile releases for the month. this means blockbuster will have to cave in or miss out on Collateral Damage(it's crap but Arnie still rents) The Time Machine, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Oceans 11 (one of the biggest of the year for any distributor) Queen of the Damned and showtime. they may be largely mediocre films but they are high profile and will rent well. This will *probably* bring the boycott to an end one way or the other. Either the rental stores will fold under the pressure on Warner will see that if people can refuse to stock oceans 11 they'll refuse anything and be forced to change their prices.
"In a move which has caused much gnashing of teeth among the likes of Blockbuster and Primetime Video, Warner has announced that, starting with Training Day, their videos will be released for sale at the same time as they become available to rent - thus closing the lucrative 'exclusive rental window' for the shops."
Funny, I thought it was because Warner were raising prices for the rental editions of their discs and that they'd never had a rental window. But I'm not a journalist so what do I know?
Answers:
That's almost as good as the BBC online story about "24".
They still insist (despite my emails correcting them!) that the DVD contained too much footage and that is why Fox are offering to replace discs 5 & 6. :nuts:
(it's because the journalist in question can't read a statement correctly!)
Answers:
Talking of inaccuracies, did you not read the rest of the paragraph then?
"... Plus they're banning the sale of ex-rental VHS tapes. This policy has been in place for months on DVD but with an added move to hike up the price of rental discs, companies have had enough"
Scott
Answers:
Well i work at Choices video and the reason we were given is that because of the success of Harry Potter coming out the same day to rent/buy Warner Brothers want to do this for all of their films, as a result they also don't want ex-rentals to go on sale, instead they want them sent back to where they came from, plus they hiked up the charges.
So it isn't that inacurate really.
Answers:
Originally posted by GrossePointeJack
Well i work at Choices video and the reason we were given is that because of the success of Harry Potter coming out the same day to rent/buy Warner Brothers want to do this for all of their films, as a result they also don't want ex-rentals to go on sale, instead they want them sent back to where they came from, plus they hiked up the charges.
So it isn't that inacurate really.
Warner Bros DVDs have always come out the same day to rent and buy. They've never had a rental window like most other distributors. The only change is that they're now charging rental shops 2 or 3 times as much for the rental version as you and I would pay for the same disc.
Answers:
It is a combination of all three issues that are causing the problem. The video rental stores probably could live with the price hike IF there was a rental window and they could then sell on their surplus stock once the disc goes sell-thru. However, in the absence of a rental window they will lose rental customers (particularly on blockbuster titles like Harry P) and are unable to realise their investment in the discs by selling them on at the end of their useful rental life.
Also the article refers to VIDEOS when dealing with rental windows. While your statement is correct DVD's are not mentioned in that part of the article.
Scott
Answers:
Ah well, who wants to pay nearly 4 quid to rent a blockbuster Warner title, when you can buy it from America for a tenner.... months ahead of the UK date.
That way you can watch & keep, or , watch & sell + make profit.
As I did with 'Collatoral Damage'.
Easy.
Answers:
Oh ok, I almost forgot there was such a thing as VHS. How quaint that they still make them.
Answers:
Our store/company were willing to pay the higher price, but only if we could sell the stuff as ex-rental which they refused to grant us, so we didn't do it. Though all the other rental DVD/VIDEO's we get we're allowed to sell on.
Answers:
If a company pays in full for the product, who the hell are Warner to say what happens with it afterwards ?
Unless theyve turned back the clock to the early Rental Only system, pre 1984 (Showing my age now), or some sort of Buy Back Scheme.
Either way, it wont work.
Not only that, their DVD's for sale (Training Day) here in the UK, are starting to resemble EV product with all the crap on the back, in a nice yellow box about Sale only etc.
Answers:
First Warner haven't banned the sale of ex rental product. They have used existing European laws to restict it sale, no film is allowed to be sold less than 8 weeks after it's release date. This is in direct response to Blockbuster flooding the market with dirt cheap ex rentals 2 weeks after release and therefore killing the official sell through product sales.
They are not charging 2 or 3 times as much. We pay 19 pounds for a warner dvd, they used to cost between 10.81 and 13,61 depending on retail price. Hardly an extortionate raise.
Warner brothers have NEVER had a rental window on dvd. They have however abolished the rental window for VHS. (Which smells so who cares)
Choices are now the most hated company in rental, even more than warner, after warner cut them a deal so they would get rental titles cheaper than everyone else so they would break thier boycott. This has caused most dealers to extend their boycott to Mosiac Movies (owned by the same company as choices) as well as all warner product.
Blockbuster titles like Harry potter, Matrix, etc don't get rental windows anyway, so we're not losing out there except for paying a tenner more for the tape but we make so mch on a huge title like that that it doesn't hurt us much.
The boycott includes ICON films as well as they are distributed by warner and have agreed to the price changes so you local blockbuster will not be stocking we were soldiers.
The crunch will come in October. Warner are releasing a load of high profile titles all at once. This will cause other distributors to hold back titles till november as everyone wants to be no.1 in their first week so warner will be responsible for half the high profile releases for the month. this means blockbuster will have to cave in or miss out on Collateral Damage(it's crap but Arnie still rents) The Time Machine, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Oceans 11 (one of the biggest of the year for any distributor) Queen of the Damned and showtime. they may be largely mediocre films but they are high profile and will rent well. This will *probably* bring the boycott to an end one way or the other. Either the rental stores will fold under the pressure on Warner will see that if people can refuse to stock oceans 11 they'll refuse anything and be forced to change their prices.
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