Top News Story
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RLJE’s Johnson Tells Entertainment Industry to Embrace Technology and Consumer Choice
Fresh off the news of AMC Networks buying a majority interest in his company RLJ Entertainment, BET founder Bob Johnson exhorted the audience at an Aug. 2 OTT conference to embrace change. “You can’t stop progress, and you can’t stop the freedom of individual choice,” he said at the OTT & Video Distribution Summit in … Continue reading “RLJE’s Johnson Tells Entertainment Industry to Embrace Technology and Consumer Choice”
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Comcast Adding Amazon Prime Video
Comcast Cable and Amazon Aug. 2 announced an agreement to launch Prime Video on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 cloud-based set-top. It marks the first time Prime Video content would be integrated on a pay-TV operator’s platform in the U.S. The Prime Video app is expected to launch on X1 later this year. Comcast incorporated Netflix, Pandora and … Continue reading “Comcast Adding Amazon Prime Video”
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New In-Home Theatrical VOD Service Launches
A new transactional VOD service offering early home entertainment access to European theatrical releases has launched in the United States. Dubbed ROW8, the service aims to accelerate home entertainment access to exclusive premieres of foreign theatrical titles in the U.S. market. Users can rent movies for $7.99, watchable on Internet-connected TVs, Roku, Android and Apple devices. … Continue reading “New In-Home Theatrical VOD Service Launches”
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FandangoNow Highlights ‘Fresh’ Films Not on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu
Online transactional VOD retailer FandangoNow this week is launching a new feature that offers up recommended films, for digital purchase or rent, not available on Netflix and other subscription streaming services. The monthly feature, FandangoNOW’s “Fresh Picks,” will highlight films on the service with “Fresh” or “Certified Fresh” Tomatometer scores, according to movie review aggregator, Rotten … Continue reading “FandangoNow Highlights ‘Fresh’ Films Not on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu”
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Shout! Factory Inks Extensive ‘Sesame Street’ Distribution Deal
Shout! Factory Aug. 1 announced a distribution partnership with Sesame Workshop for the “Sesame Street” home entertainment library. The multiyear pact makes Shout! Factory the official distributor for “Sesame Street” in North America with extensive rights, including DVD and Blu-ray Disc, video-on-demand and select digital, to more than 150 titles and programs based on the venerable TV show; … Continue reading “Shout! Factory Inks Extensive ‘Sesame Street’ Distribution Deal”
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AMC Networks Pulls Trigger on RLJ Entertainment Merger
AMC Networks has agreed to buy majority (50.1%) interest in RLJ Entertainment, including over-the-top video properties Acorn TV and Urban Movie Channel (UMC), for $65 million in cash. AMC’s $6.25 per share offer represented a 47% increase from its $4.25 per share offer in February. In 2016, AMC entered into a merger-agreement with RLJE, giving … Continue reading “AMC Networks Pulls Trigger on RLJ Entertainment Merger”
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‘I Can Only Imagine’ Takes Top Spot on June Disc Sales Chart
Lionsgate’s faith-based juggernaut I Can Only Imagine was No. 1 on the list of combined Blu-ray Disc and DVD units sold for June 2018 according to the NPD Group’s VideoScan tracking. The film, which was released on disc June 12, is inspired by the story of the creation of the song of the same name … Continue reading “‘I Can Only Imagine’ Takes Top Spot on June Disc Sales Chart”
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‘Ready Player One’ Tops Redbox Disc Rental, Transactional Video Charts
Warner’s Ready Player One, the latest sci-fi film from Steven Spielberg, debuted at No. 1 on both Redbox charts the week ended July 30. The film, based on the 2011 Ernest Cline novel, is set in 2045, a time when people use virtual reality software to escape the problems of the real world. A teen orphan … Continue reading “‘Ready Player One’ Tops Redbox Disc Rental, Transactional Video Charts”
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Sony Pictures Ups Q1 Home Entertainment Revenue 17%
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment July 31 reported first-quarter (ended June 30) revenue of $234 million, up 17.5% from revenue of $199 million during the previous-year period. The studio attributed the increase to sales of new releases and catalog titles, including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Spider-Man: Homecoming. The two titles have generated nearly $60 million … Continue reading “Sony Pictures Ups Q1 Home Entertainment Revenue 17%”
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Women in Home Entertainment: Charting the Future Course
While Hollywood may be in the throes of a gender gap on the creative side, on the business side there’s a much more equitable representation of women at the decision-maker level. This is particularly true in the home entertainment sector. And while we believe it is still prudent to give a nod to the dozens … Continue reading “Women in Home Entertainment: Charting the Future Course”
