Filed under: iTS, Stocking Stuffers
Studios steering clear of iTunes Store for now
If you think the iTunes Store could use a bigger push from movie studios, you'll be just as disappointed as I am to hear that most of the big players have no interest in signing on before the holidays.According to this story at the Mac Observer, analyst group Piper Jaffray met with four of the six top Hollywood studios to talk about their plans to put their flicks onto the iTunes Store, but they've all decided to wait out the holidays for fear of "retailiation" [sic] - a great word to describe how big retailers like Wal-Mart could pull back on their support of DVDs if they become unprofitable because the movies are available cheaper online.
There's more. Apparently, studios aren't too thrilled about Apple's "rigid pricing strategy" either, and that other popular bugaboo, the looming threat of piracy, comes up too.
It's not all bleak, though. Piper Jaffray says more studios will have movies on the iTunes Store within the next six months. I'm just looking forward to downloading Adaptation at some point.
[Via Digg]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jr.Bob_dobs said 10:12PM on 10-10-2006
Adaptation? Really? Man, what a horrible and/or boring movie. I sat through the entire damn thing, wish I had those two + hours of my life back.
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Bruno said 10:49PM on 10-10-2006
Online movie distribution is many times more secure than DVD distribution. It's a shame the studios don't recognize that.
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Joseph said 12:15AM on 10-11-2006
Jr: Could be worst! I wish I had my 12+ years of marriage back
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matt said 11:13PM on 10-10-2006
methinks it would be twice as easy to copy a physical dvd than a DRMed digital file...
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Travis Bell said 11:16PM on 10-10-2006
> Bruno
Good point man. Although the new encryption standards for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are supposed to be million times more secure than original DVDs ever were and it is possible most studios are banking on that being the end all to piracy. Although lets face it, we will find _some_ way around it. We always do.
The iTunes music protection layer has already been broken so I would guess the same tactics can be used for movies/TV shows as well.
P.S. Adaption was a great movie. I saw that on my Birthday in the theater. Kaufman impressed as usual.
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Chris said 11:39PM on 10-10-2006
I'm not sure why Wal-mart cares at all about iTunes cutting in on their profits. I mean, it's akin to Wal-mart threatening to stop selling DVDs if studios allow Amazon.com to sell them cheaper. Nobody's going to stop buying DVDs, especially when the quality of iTunes movies is so hit-or-miss. There's something to be said for having a hard copy of a movie sitting on your shelf, as opposed to sitting in your iTunes. On top of that, a movie on DVD is much easier to share with a friend (let them borrow it) than an iTunes movie.
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Sir Not Appearing in this Blog said 11:48PM on 10-10-2006
I can't see the iTS having any more effect on DVD sales than it's had on CD sales. When you buy the film online you're JUST getting the film. No subtitles, no language options (including director commentary) no extras, no nothing. That's fine if you're just itching to see the film, but I think most people are going to prefer having an actual DVD, with all the extras that implies-not to mention the flexibility of being able to play it anywhere, in any DVD player.
This is meaningless speculation on the part of these market analysts. I try not to pay too much attention to them, since they're pretty much worthless. They just talk to hear themselves talk, to justify their six-digit salaries.
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jr.bob_dobs said 2:54AM on 10-11-2006
Ok, you've got me there, I only lost 4.5 years.
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josh k said 1:59AM on 10-11-2006
is this why battlestar season 3 still isn't in ITS!!!!!!!
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Padriac said 4:16AM on 10-11-2006
It's funny: as soon as I read the post I thought "He shouldn't have bothered mentioning a movie because people are just going to bitch about how they don't like it instead of making relevant commments."
And then I read the first comment. Classic. The internet never fails to dissappoint.
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bob said 5:54AM on 10-11-2006
unbelievably stupid, its a blind threat, if walmart cut its orderd, people would buy the dvd elsewhere (better still online) DUH
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Lars-Christian said 7:38AM on 10-11-2006
This bums me out really. I -really- want the opportunity to rent movies online, and especially iTunes, since I know it would work. It would save me the time it takes to go to the video store every time I want to see a movie, and I would most likely rent much more movies as well, even if the prices are equal to those at the store.
When it comes to buying movies however, I don't see me spending the extra cash to -own- a movie I don't get a hard copy. It's just not the same, and I think the lot of movie-buyers feel the same way, so I can't really see what they are so worried about.
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Edsel said 8:04AM on 10-11-2006
No surprise here. The movie studios are following the RIAA's feeble footsteps to control the distribution channel. Given their own devices, the RIAA and Hollywood would still be distributing their product on lacquered disks and celluloid film.
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DrWho said 8:42AM on 10-11-2006
I'm not one who is interested in owning my own dvd copy of a movie, can't see the point given that there are very, very few movies I'd ever watch more than once, but give me full dvd quality picture and audio as a download rental along the lines of Netflix and I am so in.
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josh leo said 9:13AM on 10-11-2006
wrong itunes icon...
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The DUDE said 9:23PM on 10-14-2006
So maybe Apple could start by selling small, independent movies and then little by little, movbe into Wal-Mart territory.
Funny how Wal-Mart hates getting their toes stepped on, but they have no problem throwing the small, independent businessman out of business.
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Ed said 9:20AM on 10-11-2006
Adaptation was a good film indeed.
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