Back in November, Deadline Hollywood had a story about the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) filing paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which would reinforce the benefits of allowing studios the option of sending movies fresh from the box office to tens of millions of American households.
In an update to that story, last Friday the FCC approved the request made by the MPAA that would permit recent movies to be sent directly to American households over secure high definition transmission lines from their cable or satellite providers prior to their release on DVD or Blu-ray.
The announcement signals a change in the business model of the motion picture industry. We’ve been moving in this direction ever since Netflix and Redbox surpassed Blockbuster Video and other mom-and-pop chains when it comes to renting movies on DVD and Blu-ray. And if Netflix’s ability to stream movies over the Internet onto your PC or TV set is any indication of what we’re in store for, it is sure to affect the way movie theaters do business.
The press release describes the system of operations and how the streaming would be incorporated.
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…selectable output control (SOC) would allow televisions with digitally secure interfaces to receive high-definition content from a cable, satellite or IPTV provider, before its release on DVD or Blu-ray. Using SOC protects content because during the broadcast it essentially disables non-secure, analog outputs to avoid illegal circumvention and distribution of copyrighted material.
The movie theater will always be a communal experience for people to gather and watch a feature film. Has been for over eighty years. But the practices are old and out of date. Chains that do not strive to change how they do business (i.e., “How can we make going to the movies more attractive than staying at home?”) they will go under.
This change in direction plus Disney shortening the theatrical release window of Alice in Wonderland this Spring, only adds to the notion that movie chains need to get with the times. Holding to tradition isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Be sure to read Scott Sawitz’s “Monday Morning Critic” for his own irreverent spin on these recent developments.
