In a bid to create more demand for sinking DVD/Blu-ray sales, Fox is offering up a new retail premium movie sales model. Consequently, rental films will start to have their extras removed from them starting on March 31, and will be sold to outlets in "light" mode for renting purposes.
The first movies to be rented under the new strategy by Fox will be "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Marley and Me." Not too long afterwards, in April "The Wrestler," "Notorious" and "Day the Earth Stood Still" will also be released with most of the extras taken out. Near the end of April, "Bride Wars" will finish the first month of the new strategy off, scheduled for release on the 28th.
Another incentive to be included for Blu-ray retail sales--which Fox has been doing for about a year with some of their movies--will be to add digital copies which can be copied to your computer from the physical discs.
Feature-Free Rental DVDs
Fox Axes Extras From Rental Films to Aid DVD/Blu-ray Sales
Trend Themes
1. Feature-free Rentals - Removing extras from rental films to encourage DVD/Blu-ray purchases creates disruption in the rental industry.
2. Premium Retail Movie Sales - A new sales model, selling “light” mode rentals with extras removed, creates disruption in the DVD/Blu-ray industry.
3. Digital Copy Incentives - Adding digital copies to the physical discs for Blu-ray retail sales creates disruption in the home entertainment industry.
Industry Implications
1. Home Entertainment - The trend of removing extras from rental films to encourage DVD/Blu-ray purchases creates opportunities for new products and services in the home entertainment industry.
2. Movie Rental - The trend of offering “light” mode rentals with extras removed creates disruption and opportunities for innovation in the movie rental industry.
3. Physical Media Sales - The trend of offering digital copies as incentives for Blu-ray retail sales creates opportunities for innovation in the physical media sales industry.