Uncategorized

MESA News – Jul. 31

Studios/Suppliers

Image to defer $4 million principal payment
By Susanne Ault – 07/31/2009
JULY 31 | PHYSICAL: Deadline extended to Oct. 30 More
Viacom’s Paramount takes Q2 loss
By Danny King – 07/28/2009
JULY 28 | PHYSICAL: Home entertainment revenue down 29% More

Disney faces third-quarter malaise
By Marc Graser of Variety – 07/31/2009
JULY 30 | FROM VARIETY: Profits down 26% as DVDs slip a disc More

E1 to distribute Porchlight Entertainment
By Cindy Spielvogel – 07/30/2009
JULY 30 | PHYSICAL: Deal includes catalog, new titles on DVD, Blu-ray More

Anchor Bay promotes three to senior VP
By Cindy Spielvogel – 07/30/2009
JULY 30 | PHYSICAL: Cartwright in marketing; Seraphim and Zinar in sales More

Warner promotes Junge to senior VP
By Susanne Ault – 07/30/2009
JULY 30 | PHYSICAL: Executive in charge of mergers and acquisitions More

Reed Elsevier to sell part of RBI-US
By Dana Harris of Variety – 07/30/2009
JULY 30 | FROM VARIETY: Variety among titles to be retained More

Watchmen dominates sales, rentals
By Cheryl Cheng – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | PHYSICAL: Coraline also has strong debut More

Navarre quadruples income in fiscal Q1
By Susanne Ault – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | PHYSICAL: Funimation label helped push supplier results More

Time Warner profits slide 34%
By Jill Goldsmith of Variety – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | FROM VARIETY: Media networks’ revenue rises by 5%, but DVD sales are soft More

 

G-Force takes top spot from Harry
By Pamela McClintock of Variety – 07/27/2009
JULY 27 | VARIETY BOX-OFFICE REPORT: The Ugly Truth opens strong More

Comic-Con: Hollywood’s wild and weird in Hall H
By Susanne Ault – 07/25/2009
JULY 25 | PHYSICAL: Fans get glimpse of stars, clips from Jonah Hex, Sherlock Holmes, others More  

Retail

Walmart eliminates corrugate to clean up stores
By Susanne Ault – 07/31/2009
JULY 31 | PHYSICAL: Mass merchant adopts clear aisle initiative More
Watchmen to be discounted to $9.99 at Best Buy
By Susanne Ault – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | PHYSICAL: Sale price comes a week and a half after street More

Netflix stock downgraded after Q2 earnings
By Danny King – 07/27/2009
JULY 27 | DIGITAL: Lack of separate streaming charge might hurt profit growth, analyst says More

Retailers feel optimistic about Q4 slate
By Susanne Ault – 07/27/2009
JULY 27 | PHYSICAL: Holiday titles kick off with Wolverine Sept. 15 More

High-Def

Marantz readies flagship Blu-ray player
By Joseph Palenchar of TWICE – 07/31/2009
JULY 31 | FROM TWICE: Models are brand’s first BD Live-capable players More

Paramount puts Blu-ray first in staggered release
By Susanne Ault – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | PHYSICAL: Standard DVD also available without extras to rental accounts More

Onkyo ships Blu-ray player, A/V systems
By Greg Tarr of TWICE – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | FROM TWICE: $499 single-disc player supports BD Live More

Fox adds mobile to DVD, Blu-ray campaigns
By Susanne Ault – 07/27/2009
JULY 27 | MOBILE: Dollhouse, Miss March promotions use JAGTAG interactivity More

Comic-Con: Watchmen BD Live screening attracts fans
By Samantha Clark – 07/25/2009
JULY 25 | PHYSICAL: Snyder discusses directorial choices, the graphic novel and his choice of peanut butter More

 

Technology

RealNetworks’ losses grow in second quarter
By Jennifer Netherby – 07/30/2009
JULY 30 | PHYSICAL: Litigation costs over RealDVD suit drag financials More

Sonic encoding promises Blu-ray resolution via Web
By Jennifer Netherby – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | DIGITAL: CineVision Adaptive HD to be used on Roxio CinemaNow More

VuNow adds CinemaNow content
By Greg Tarr of TWICE – 07/28/2009
JULY 28 | FROM TWICE: Sonic Solutions’ VOD service adds another way to be played on TVs More

VOD/Downloads

Online movie watching doubled in two years
By Jennifer Netherby – 07/30/2009
JULY 30 | DIGITAL: Nearly a quarter watch on PC-connected TVs More

Web, TV projects are equal at ITVFest
By Michael Schneider of Variety – 07/30/2009
JULY 30 | FROM VARIETY: Internet, television series to face off in same categories More

Vudu service downloads to LG HDTVs
By Susanne Ault – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | DIGITAL: Web-enabled sets will have access to more than 2,000 high-def movies More

Sonic encoding promises Blu-ray resolution via Web
By Jennifer Netherby – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | DIGITAL: CineVision Adaptive HD to be used on Roxio CinemaNow More

Blip.tv distributes content on Roku players, Web sites
By Jennifer Netherby – 07/28/2009
JULY 28 | DIGITAL: Service helps indie filmmakers deliver content More

 

Videogames

Sony reports less red ink than expected
By Jill Goldsmith of Variety – 07/31/2009
JULY 30 | FROM VARIETY: Electronics and game divisions both lost money More

Connecting with… Netflix’s Reed Hastings
By Danny King – 07/31/2009
JULY 31 | Q&A: ‘Hybrid strategy’ at the heart of business More

Infinity to release Michael Jackson documentary
By Jennifer Netherby – 07/29/2009
JULY 29 | PHYSICAL: Devotion tracks King of Pop’s career More