A few days ago we reported that the European Union was investigating the high DVD prices. Walt Disney will be one of the first companies that will have to explain the situation.
Mario Monti, the EU's competition commissioner, revealed on Monday he had written to Hollywood film companies asking about DVD pricing policies. |
DVDs bought in America are cheaper than those available in Europe. The discs cost between £13-£20 in the UK, while US consumers pay just $15-$25 (£11-£18). And because of a regional disc tagging system, which can make US discs unreadable on foreign players, European customers cannot take advantage of the lower American prices.
"EU consumers are artificially prevented from purchasing DVDs from overseas," Mr Monti said.
Disney boasts well over 100 titles in its DVD catalogue, including 101 Dalmatians, Mary Poppins and Toy Story.
The other six firms contacted were: Sony and its Columbia Pictures unit, AOL's Warner Brothers unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Vivendi-Universal, Fox Entertainment Group's Twentieth Century Fox, and Viacom's Paramount Pictures.
Source: BBC.co.uk
