QUOTE
THE box office hit The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt, will be the first Hollywood movie released simultaneously on DVD and for download in Australia.
Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group Australia will release the Academy Award-winning drama on June 3 for download on iTunes, Bigpond and the online sites of various rental chains, on Video on Demand through FOXTEL Box Office Pay Per View and as a rental and retail DVD and Blu-ray.
While a number of films, including Warner's blockbuster The Dark Knight, have been available for download previously on sites such as iTunes or digital TV services such as TiVo and FOXTEL, none have been released simultaneously with, or even in close proximity to, the DVD release.
The DVD format has traditionally maintained an exclusive “window” of three months after a film's theatrical screening and months in advance of broadcast or downloading, in order to protect retailers.
But growing piracy concerns, the popularity of Foxtel's Video on Demand service and iTunes in particular have hastened a squeezing of these “windows”.
"This is a significant step in the development and growth of our industry in Australia, providing an important new opportunity to increase the audience for our content,” said Roger Clarke, Managing Director of Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group Australia.
Mr Clarke said the 5.1 million Australian consumers with broadband connections were increasingly purchasing their movies digitally. He added this digital strategy responds to such needs for greater convenience and choice and “additionally, by providing reliable, high quality, digital product to consumers in this way, we are offering a legitimate alternative to piracy.”
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a hit in Australian cinemas earlier this year, earning more than $16 million.
This month, Warner's US parent also launched a web site on which consumers could order any of 150 classic titles on www.warnerarchive.com to order as a download or as a DVD that arrives in five days.
WHV Australia said it “will evaluate local opportunities following the US rollout, but we are not able to confirm dates for a local launch” of that service, which has proven popular in the US.
Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group Australia will release the Academy Award-winning drama on June 3 for download on iTunes, Bigpond and the online sites of various rental chains, on Video on Demand through FOXTEL Box Office Pay Per View and as a rental and retail DVD and Blu-ray.
While a number of films, including Warner's blockbuster The Dark Knight, have been available for download previously on sites such as iTunes or digital TV services such as TiVo and FOXTEL, none have been released simultaneously with, or even in close proximity to, the DVD release.
The DVD format has traditionally maintained an exclusive “window” of three months after a film's theatrical screening and months in advance of broadcast or downloading, in order to protect retailers.
But growing piracy concerns, the popularity of Foxtel's Video on Demand service and iTunes in particular have hastened a squeezing of these “windows”.
"This is a significant step in the development and growth of our industry in Australia, providing an important new opportunity to increase the audience for our content,” said Roger Clarke, Managing Director of Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group Australia.
Mr Clarke said the 5.1 million Australian consumers with broadband connections were increasingly purchasing their movies digitally. He added this digital strategy responds to such needs for greater convenience and choice and “additionally, by providing reliable, high quality, digital product to consumers in this way, we are offering a legitimate alternative to piracy.”
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a hit in Australian cinemas earlier this year, earning more than $16 million.
This month, Warner's US parent also launched a web site on which consumers could order any of 150 classic titles on www.warnerarchive.com to order as a download or as a DVD that arrives in five days.
WHV Australia said it “will evaluate local opportunities following the US rollout, but we are not able to confirm dates for a local launch” of that service, which has proven popular in the US.
