Warner Bros. tries quick DVD release in China to stem Piracy

June 11, 2005

Last week, the Warner Brothers film studio released the DVD "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" in China on the same day it debuted in U.S. theaters. The company is testing whether quickly released, studio quality DVD's, will be any help in stemming pirate copies from popping up over there. They claim these illegal competitive products cost them 3.5 billion a year in lost revenues.

The piracy problem is particularly relevant in China because the government limits the number of Hollywood films that can be shown each year in the country, nor does the country have as extensive or modern a theater network as in the United States, Europe or other regions.

But Warner estimates there are as many as 100 million video and DVD players installed in Chinese homes, and the studios want to tap that market,

The months-long gap between a movie's release in theaters and on DVD, however, means vendors of illegal products get them to consumers long before the studios.

The Warner Bros. spokeswoman said it was highly likely the studio would try the same initiative in the future with other films and that time was needed to judge its effectiveness.

This is a good idea to see it's effectiveness, however we have to wonder if this can be accurately measured with this film. A low budget, narrow sector offering like Sisterhood, can't compare with Revenge of the Sith. However, I long for the day that DVD's are released worldwide, the same day the films debut in the theater. Maybe this is a first baby step in that direction.

Source: Reuters