AllThingsD reports that Netflix (and Blockbuster) will be required to wait twice as long, or a full 56 days after DVDs hit retail shelves, before offering Warner Brothers content under a new distribution agreement.
The move is part of Hollywood's ongoing campaign to bolster flagging DVD sales, and sources tell me the new deal is supposed to be announced at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Warner Brothers executives have already talked publicly about extending the current window.
Redbox was also included in the initial report, however their parent company Coinstar has made a statement indicating they haven't yet entered into a new contract with Warner Brothers. They are, however, set to renegotiate their contract at the end of January, but have publicly stated they'd look for "workarounds" if studios attempt to double the time window.
While studios may think this type of dumbassery forces people to buy more DVDs, it only forces them to hate the circumvent the customer-hostile studios. Hollywood is once again on the wrong side of history and common sense. Rapid availability and fair pricing is what boosts sales. iTunes taught that to music studios ravaged by Napster and the like a decade ago. Steve Jobs told them at the time their competition was free-as-in-file-sharing. Is Hollywood really this intent on making the recording labels seem like geniuses by comparison?
Here's once again hoping the old-guard gets replaced soon.
Source: All Things Digital
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