Video On
Demand Can Save the Academy Awards
By
Mark Shapiro
Fear
of video pirates is threatening to fatally
disrupt the venerable Academy Awards viewing
and review process. Because of the fear of
illegal copying and pirating, the major
Hollywood studios and the Motion Picture
Association of American announced in
September that they will stop sending out
DVD and VHS screeners to their 5600 some
members for review. They also announced that
they won’t be sending out screener copies
to various other film award organizations.
Because
of that, this week, the Los Angeles Film
Critics Association announced that they have
cancelled their 2003 Awards program.
Video
and film piracy is an important issue that
threatens Hollywood and the rest of the
world’s film and entertainment industry.
However, there is a simple solution.
Video On Demand – why don’t these
studios and producers simply distribute
these screener copies via broadband to their
members and reviewers? By using digital
asset management and security technology
already in place, pirating these video
streams is almost impossible. Actually,
unlike DVD or VHS copies, even just making 2nd
generation VHS copies is difficult.
Currently
many us can sit at home and are able to
watch full screen videos, films and even
live TV on our computer screen, all
delivered via standard home cable or DSL
broadband. It’s not a big deal or
expensive.
This
challenge seems like a great opportunity for
companies like MovieFlix,
CinemaNow,
MovieLink
and
others to step up to the plate and make some
PR hay. Their streaming technologies can
deliver these screeners and previews with as
high quality as delivered via a DVD. It’s
not like these reviewers and Academy members
are actually enjoying the “theatre
experience” when reviewing these movies.
Instead of traipsing out to a theatre like
most of us to see these new releases, many
of them are just sitting in their dens,
living rooms and bedrooms, and watching
these movies on their 21 inch TV set.
Video on Demand can do that.
FYI
- MovieLink is owned by five of Hollywood's major movie studios -- Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Lycos Links Up With Movielink
MovieFlix,
MovieLink and CinemaNow could score some big PR
results by offering to present these
screeners to the Academy members for free
and with absolute security. If some of the
Academy’s membership complain that they
don’t want to watch these movies on a
computer screen, this could be a great
opportunity for Microsoft and HP to
“donate” a few of their new home Media
Center systems that can deliver broadband
video to a large screen TV or video monitor.
No broadband connection? Let MSN, AOL
Broadband or Real Networks show them what
broadband video is all about.
What
is the VoD industry waiting for? Video and
film pirating is a problem. The VoD industry
has a solution. Because they only have to
hit the some 5600 members of the MPAA, there
is not a lot of cost involved.
Not
only will these members now be able to
securely watch and review these films, they
will be getting a pleasant taste and preview
of what the film viewing environment may be
like in just a few years.
Related
News -
Hollywood Seen Facing Huge Losses from Web Piracy
Screener
ruling has studios scrambling - as of Dec 5,
2003
care
to comment? - send an email to editor @
internetvideomag.com
|
