Sony will release movies on Internet TV before DVD

November 10, 2009 4 Comments Article By : Alan

In a move towards the future of digital data and home movie watching, Sony is planning to release its animated film “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” first on Blu-ray players and Internet enabled TVs before it is released to the public in DVD format.

This reverses the usual pecking order that sees DVD come before pay TV

The new move by Sony is an attempt to find a way to recoup its losses from a decrease in home entertainment sales.

The new release format is significant given that it is the latest attempt by the movie industry to pull up cash flow, profits from DVD sales have slumped and this move is upsetting Wal-Mart, which is one of the largest retailers of the industry.

However, given the fact that DVD sales have decreased up to 25% for some studios, innovative thinking and finding new ways to sell movies to the public is quickly becoming a necessity for studios that want to survive.

Howard Stringer, the Sony chief executive, stated that while the studio is not looking to go to war with Wal-Mart, he does not believe the new releases will be detrimental to the large American retailer given that the only thing it will do is make internet linked televisions a bit more valuable to consumers.

Outside of the new television format, the movie will also be up for sale on Sony’s Blu-Ray players.

The new experiment will help give studios a look at how they can use the Internet to increase their film distribution sales overall. The purchase price for the movie in this format will be $24.95

Tags: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, DVD, DVD sales, Internet TV, Sony Entertainment Business