Studios Mull 60-Day Delay on Netflix, Redbox DVD Rentals

NEW YORK - Several Hollywood studios are considering doubling a 28-day delay on DVD rentals offered by the likes of Netflix and Coinstar's Redbox DVD rental kiosk operator, Bloomberg News reported.

Hollywood executives are discussing a delay of 60 days from the time DVDs go on sale and studios continue to explore ways to bolster DVD sales and digital purchases, it said.

The news comes after Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, told the Financial Times this week that the studio is looking at lengthening the current 28 days delay.

Bloomberg didn't detail which studios may seek a longer delay, but highlighted that beyond Warner, Universal Pictures, part of Comcast-controlled NBCUniversal, and News Corp.’s Fox currently impose the 28-day rental window on Netflix and Redbox.

Coinstar CEO Paul Davis told Bloomberg that the company has the option of buying DVDs elsewhere, but that it will continue to work with studios. “Some studios want a window and we try to work with them,” he said. “There’s a point to where it might not make sense.”

Redbox announced Thursday that it will raise DVD rental prices by 20 percent per day.
 

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com

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