Tag: Media Play News

This Week’s MPN Podcast: Most Anticipated Movies, Shows; Interview With Fandango’s Erik Davis

On this week’s episode of the Media Play News podcast, hosts Charles Parkman and Charlie Showley dive into the most anticipated new and returning shows coming to streaming in February, as well as the 10 most-anticipated movies.

Surprisingly, network TV’s offerings dominate the new shows coming this month, with ABC and Fox debuting four of the five most anticipated items from the list. Charlie is looking forward to the new season of “You,” coming to Netflix, which is what you would get if you crossed a sappy Lifetime movie with a staple Netflix serial killer docuseries. 

Among new movies, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania leads the list. Both hosts, however, are skeptical of its level of success, with not much chatter online. If nothing else, once it releases mid-February it will finally unseat Avatar: The Way of Water, which has led every box office weekend since its debut and has grossed over $2 billion worldwide, making it the No. 4 highest-grossing movie of all time.

The MPN Podcast features its first interview with Erik Davis, editor at Fandango, who talks with Charlie about several Oscar nominees that are currently available on Vudu. Erik shares his thoughts about movies such as The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, and many others, as well as his predictions for who will win their respective categories. His most exciting prediction? A tie for Best Actress between Michelle Yo and Cate Blanchett for Everything Everywhere All at Once and Tár, respectively.

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Nomination Period is Open for 2023 Home Entertainment Media Play Awards

Nominations are now being accepted for the annual Home Entertainment Media Play Awards, which for the sixth year is being presented by Media Play News.

Nominations for the awards — which honor the best movies, series and other content aimed at home audiences released during 2022, from streaming to TVOD to disc — are due from participating studios, distributors and content creators Feb. 17.

Winners in all categories will then be determined by a blue-ribbon panel of industry experts in conjunction with a consumer vote. Voting will take place in March and the winners will be announced in April.

The awards cover a wide array of home entertainment options, including streaming, from SVOD to AVOD and FAST; DVD, Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray; premium video-on-demand (PVOD) and digital sellthrough. 

Submit your entries for the 2023 Home Entertainment Media Play Awards here

“Best of show” winners are then selected from among all eligible submissions for Packaged-Media Title of the Year, TV Disc Release of the Year and Best Blu-ray Disc. A “Fan-Favorite” trophy also will be awarded for the single title receiving the most consumer votes. Judges may also present awards based on special merit.

Last year’s Home Entertainment Media Play Awards saw Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition voted Title of the Year. The set also won Blu-ray Disc of the Year, Best Movie Collection and Best Packaging.

Funimation’s Robotech: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc won TV on Disc of the Year, as well as Best Disc Release of a Vintage TV Series.

The Fan-Favorite Title of the Year was Paramount Home Entertainment’s A Quiet Place Part II.

On the digital side, Paramount’s Yellowstone: Season Four took Best Digital Sellthrough Release, while another Paramount release, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, was named Best PVOD Release.

Among stream­ing content, Apple TV+ took Best New Streaming Movie with CODA and Best Season of a Scripted Series with season two of “For All Mankind.”

PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel was named Best Niche Streaming Channel.

Overall, this is the 13th edition of the annual home entertainment awards.

This Week’s MPN Podcast: December’s Most Anticipated Shows and Movies; ‘The Peripheral’ and ‘1899’ Wrapped Up; Best Shows of 2022

 

On this week’s episode of the Media Play News Podcast, hosts Charles Parkman and Charlie Showley introduce a new segment to the show: looking ahead to the coming month’s most anticipated streaming shows and movies, according to data collected by Whip Media. With 20 items on the list, there’s plenty for the hosts to chew on, and they share their opinions on what is worth looking forward to and what can be skipped. There’s plenty of Avatar 2 discussion as its premiere approaches and, to no one’s surprise, it’s the No. 1 most anticipated movie of December.

Charlie sums up his thoughts with “The Peripheral” and “1899” now that he’s finished both series. In summation, the former is a promising new sci-fi show with the potential to become great, but the latter doesn’t live up to its premise and, in the host’s opinion, fails to be consistent with its storytelling. Charles talks about a fun YouTube channel, “Watcher,” which has a recurring series “Puppet History,” consisting of exactly what the title implies: historical events reenacted by puppets.

Looking backward in time, Charlie and Charles dissect a list of top shows from 2022 according to The Economist, along with shows they themselves liked most. Stay tuned to the end to hear what is worth revisiting from this past year!

This Week’s MPN Podcast: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Review; ‘The Peripheral’ and ‘1899’, Overhyped or Worth it?

On this week’s episode of the Media Play News podcast, hosts Charles Parkman and Charlie Showley run through a lightning round of reviews for shows they’ve been watching. First up is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which John Latchem reviewed for MPN. Charles shares his thoughts about it, as well as a quick recap of the Marvel Phase 4 set of movies and shows, as this special concludes that series. He also gives his predictions for what to expect in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn’s final Marvel-directed movie before committing fully to leading the DC franchise at Warner Bros.

Afterward, Charlie updates listeners on his progress through the Amazon Prime series “The Peripheral” as well as the new cerebral Netflix drama “1899.” The former has proven to be a solid new sci-fi series, but, as for the latter, according to Charlie, it’s off to a rocky start.

At the box office, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever unsurprisingly still took the No. 1 spot over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery debuted on a limited number of screens but didn’t make a big splash. The hosts, who are both huge fans of the original, expect it to do extremely well on Netflix when it makes its streaming debut in late December. But looming on the box office horizon is the juggernaut Avatar: The Way of Water. It’s no question as to whether it will dominate ticket sales when it finally drops; the question is, exactly how much.

Lastly, the hosts cover an article announcing that Amazon has ordered a miniseries to cover the recent collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, to be produced by the Russo brothers. Charlie follows that particular tech sector closely and gives some context for the collapse, and the trend of studios to produce miniseries about similarly spectacular implosions of tech companies like Uber, WeWork and Theranos.

This Week’s Podcast: ‘Dual,’ ‘South Park’ Reviews; Weekend Box Office Report

On this week’s episode of the Media Play News podcast, hosts Charles Parkman and Charlie Showley cover the sleeper sci-fi film Dual, starring Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul. Gillan plays two parts simultaneously, the protagonist of the movie and the clone of said protagonist. It’s an interesting premise that didn’t get much attention when it was originally released. Following up is a review of both parts of South Park: The Streaming Wars, which touches (or beats the viewer over the head with) the absurdity of studios creating content for multiple streaming platforms. In typical South Park fashion, it’s done in hilarious and creative ways. (Both reviews are written by John Latchem.)
 
Lastly, in the weekend box office numbers, Jordan Peele’s third film, Nope, debuted in the No. 1 spot, the first film to unseat Thor: Love and Thunder as the weekend’s top grossing feature. 
 
Keep an eye on the podcast feed for our upcoming special report from 2022’s Comic-Con!

‘Media Play News’ to Celebrate 25 Years of Digital Entertainment

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the U.S. launch of DVD, Media Play News is producing a special project celebrating DVD’s legacy and chronicling the digital revolution in entertainment that it triggered.

“Without DVD, there would be no digital delivery of movies, no streaming, no Netflix,” said Media Play News publisher and editorial director Thomas K. Arnold. “DVD was not just the most successful consumer electronics product launch in history, but it also led to the mass digitization of content, particularly on the library side, which opened the door to every avenue of digital delivery we have today, including streaming.

“And let’s not forget that Netflix began life as a DVD-by-mail rental service.”

The project, “25 Years of Digital Entertainment,” will consist of a detailed chronology that will be split between March and April issues of Media Play News, and feature exclusive interviews with such key players as Warren Lieberfarb, the father of DVD, and Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Co.

“25 Years of Digital Entertainment, Part 1: The Disc That Changed the World” will focus on the development, launch and subsequent success of DVD as well as its two successor formats, Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD.

“25 Years of Digital Entertainment, Part 2: The Digital Stream” will chronicle the history of digital distribution, from its cable pay-per-view roots to the first attempts to deliver video-on-demand by the telcos right up to the present surge in subscription streaming.

Media Play News also is producing a series of podcasts that will be available on Spotify, Apple and other leading platforms, as well as a commemorative book.

In addition, essays by industry leaders reflecting on the DVD launch and its legacy will be published online throughout March and April and also will be included in the book.

Annual Home Entertainment Media Play Awards to Feature Expanded Streaming Category

Nominations are now being accepted for the 12th Annual Home Entertainment Media Play Awards, which this year feature an expanded streaming category. This is the fifth year the annual home entertainment awards program is presented by Media Play News.

Nominations for the awards — which honor the best movies, series and other content aimed at home audiences released during 2021 — are due from participating studios, distributors and content creators Feb. 25. Winners in all categories will then be determined by a blue-ribbon panel of industry experts in conjunction with a consumer vote. Voting will take place in March and the winners will be announced in April.

The awards were traditionally for transactional releases only, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and digital.

Streaming categories were added last year, and this year the streaming component is being further expanded with awards for various channels, including FAST.

Submit your entries for the 2022 Home Entertainment Media Play Awards here

“There are now more ways than ever to distribute and view content, so we wanted these awards to be comprehensive enough to cover the entire home entertainment spectrum,” said John Latchem, executive editor of Media Play News and awards administrator.

The 2022 Home Entertainment Media Play Awards have 45 categories open for nomination.

This year there are 14 disc categories, 10 streaming categories (twice as many as last year), two TVOD categories and 15 genre categories open to films and shows released on any platform, disc, digital or streaming. Awards also will be given for Best Marketing Initiative, Best Restoration, Best International Release and Best Extended Edition/Alternative Cut.

In addition, three “best of show” winners — Title of the Year, Best TV Release of the Year, and Best Blu-ray Disc — are then selected from among all eligible submissions. A “Fan-Favorite” trophy also will be awarded for the single title receiving the most consumer votes. Judges may also present awards based on special merit.

Last year’s Home Entertainment Media Play Awards saw Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Vol. 1 earn the top prize, voted Title of the Year. The set also won for Best Packaging.

Blu-ray Disc of the Year went to Shout! Factory’s Friday the 13th Collection: Deluxe Edition, which also won Best Boxed Set. HBO’s Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc set won TV on Disc of the Year. Warner Bros.’ The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy won Best 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc.

On the digital side, Lionsgate’s But I’m a Cheerleader: Director’s Cut won Best Digital Sellthrough Release, while Paramount’s Love and Monsters earned Best Premium Video on Demand Release. Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 was selected as Best New Streaming Movie, while Disney+ series The Mandalorian: Season 2 won Best Season of a Scripted Series.

In other award categories, Lionsgate’s Knives Out was a triple winner, selected as Fan-Favorite Title of the Year, Best New Movie on Disc and Best Audio/Visual Quality.

Vintage TV shows also were hailed, with Shout! Factory’s “The Carol Burnett Show” picking up a streaming win as Best Binge Series and Mill Creek’s Return of Ultraman honored as Best Disc Release of a Vintage TV Series.

Celebrating the 40 Under 40, Class of 2021

Media Play News, in partnership with DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, hosted a festive reception at the Skirball Center Oct. 27 to honor the 40 Under 40 in Home Entertainment, Class of 2021. Sponsored by Lionsgate and Whip Media, the rising stars and young executives mingled with some of the industry’s key leaders, including Paramount Home Entertainment president Bob Buchi, Sony Pictures EVP of worldwide digital distribution Jason Spivak, and Lionsgate’s Adam Frank, SVP of global digital sales and distribution. A special guest was Warren Lieberfarb, the father of DVD, an industry icon who played a large role in getting the digital revolution started.

UPHE’s Eddie Cunningham to be Honored With Third Annual ‘Fast Forward’ Award

Media Play News on Feb. 28 announced that Eddie Cunningham, president of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE), will receive the third annual Media Play Fast Forward Award, which honors people, technologies, organizations, products or services that move the home entertainment industry forward.

Cunningham is being honored for his innovative and aggressive promotion of packaged media since he assumed his present position in 2014. Under Cunningham’s leadership, UPHE has scored a steady string of best-selling Blu-ray Discs and DVDs, spanning such global blockbuster franchises as “Jurassic World” and “Fast and Furious” as well as the breakout film sensations Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Us and Downton Abbey.

In an effort to further innovate for the industry, UPHE last June unveiled a completely reimagined bonus content menu for its physical disc offerings that is more easily accessible and navigable — a move the studio introduced to provide viewers with a more visceral and engaging experience for Blu-ray Disc and DVD bonus content, which Cunningham and his team believe is a key selling point for its physical product offerings.

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And when Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures in January 2020 announced plans to merge their domestic disc distribution businesses, Cunningham was chosen to lead the joint venture that pending regulatory approval will begin operation in early 2021.

Last year, the Media Play Fast Forward Award went to digital retailers Cameron Douglas of FandangoNow, Galen Smith of Redbox On Demand, Google Play Movies & TV’s Jonathan Zepp and the team at Apple iTunes.

The previous year, the inaugural Media Play Fast Forward Award was shared by Fox Innovation Lab and Movies Anywhere.

The Media Play Fast Forward awards are an outgrowth of the Home Entertainment Visionary Awards, which were launched in 2002 by the now-defunct Home Media Magazine. Comcast’s Brian Roberts was the 2017 honoree. Warren Lieberfarb, the father of DVD, was the first Visionary Award winner, back in 2002. Other honorees have included Sony Pictures’ Ben Feingold, Samsung’s Tim Baxter, and Walmart’s Louis Greth and Chris Nagelson.

Cunningham will be profiled in the March issue of Media Play News.

A Message to Our Readers for 2020

As we put a wrap on 2019, I want to send my thanks to all of our loyal readers for your support of Media Play News — and our mission to cover the at-home and direct-to-consumer sector of the entertainment business, from transactional to streaming.

Thanks to you — and, of course, to our team of editors, writers, and designers — our online readership has nearly doubled over the last year. Comparing November 2019 to November 2018, our unique visitor count was up 85%, while our total monthly visits rose 99%, according to our hosting service, Haus Interactive.

Our monthly print and digital magazine, meanwhile, continues to serve as a curated collection of the month’s biggest stories — and an archival record of a business that remains resilient and vibrant more than 40 years after it was birthed by Andre Blay and a collection of 50 leased titles from Fox that he issued on videocassette.

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Two years ago, we set out to redefine the concept of home entertainment, broadening the definition to include any filmed content available for on-demand viewing by the consumer — regardless of whether it was bought or rented on Blu-ray Disc, DVD or digital, or streamed via Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.

Since then, the disc market has been revitalized by 4K Ultra HD. Digital distribution has posted impressive growth numbers as consumers realize the latest theatrical blockbusters simply aren’t available on Netflix. And the subscription streaming market, which Netflix pioneered more than a decade ago, this year saw the launch of two other high-profile services, Disney+ and Apple TV+ — with more on the way in 2020.

Mega-mergers saw AT&T buy Warner Bros. and Disney purchase, and then absorb, the venerable 20th Century Fox film studio.

And original content, made expressly for the small screen that is the focus of Media Play News’ coverage, was the darling of the year, with Apple TV+ earning Golden Globe nominations out of the gate and Redbox launching a new content acquisition and production division to further its transformation into a multi-channel content provider and programmer.

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Here at Media Play News, we scored a number of high points. Our Fast Forward awards honored four key digital retailers at a sold-out luncheon. Our second annual Women in Home Entertainment issue shone the spotlight one some of the brightest minds in our business, from Andrea Downing of PBS to Netflix’s Cindy Holland. Our 40 Under 40 issue, also in its second year, gave well-deserved recognition to the leaders of tomorrow. And at the end of summer we brought onboard a razor-sharp social media marketer and our Instagram posts are now generating hundreds, if not thousands, of likes.

I wish you all a prosperous, healthy and happy new year — and, again, thanks for your support.

Sincerely,

Thomas K. Arnold, Publisher and Editorial Director, Media Play News