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Will Strike-Shortened TV Seasons = Cheaper Season DVDs?

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View Poll Results: Will the Strike-Shortened TV Seasons Result in Cheaper DVD Sets This Season
Yes, Fewer Episodes = Lower Cost
22.50%
Maybe, but only if shows don't come back this season
11.25%
No, Studios will charge full price anyway
60.00%
No, Increased Residuals = More expensive DVDs
5.00%
I don't really care how much they cost, as long as they come out.
3.75%
Twikoff is not on strike.
6.25%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 80. You may not vote on this poll

Will Strike-Shortened TV Seasons = Cheaper Season DVDs?

Old 01-04-08, 02:31 PM
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Will Strike-Shortened TV Seasons = Cheaper Season DVDs?

With the real possibility of many of this season's shows being shortened due to the strike, do you think that this season's DVD sets will be cheaper due to the lower episode counts?
Old 01-04-08, 02:37 PM
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Possibly, but not necessarily. Some shorter seasons of shows (such as The Office or Arrested Development) have been cheaper than full length seasons, but then look at shows like Sex And The City or The Sopranos (although admittedly, the fact that they were HBO shows could be the reason).
Old 01-04-08, 02:38 PM
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I bet they'll be full-priced at release, then will go down from there.
Old 01-04-08, 02:41 PM
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I think for returning shows, the shortened season will definitely mean cheaper dvd sets (in comparison with earlier seasons). However, for shows that were in their first season and may not have been able to build up the full episode count they were intending, I think that the studios might just charge "full price" (for those shows) just because consumers have no earlier season sets (for those shows) to compare to.
Old 01-04-08, 02:53 PM
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i feel they might be slightly cheaper, but probably not half-price to match the fact that there are half the number of episodes. even if that's the case, they will eventually drop down in price as always. and as i've noticed this past 4th quarter, it seems like it only takes about a month before a price drop on most shows, sometimes only two months for a significant price drop. so price shouldn't be a huge issue.

my main "concern" is the fact that because there will be less discs, the boxes will just thin and slapped-together, which is gonna mess with the uniformity of the seasons sitting on my shelf. yes, i know that's a ridiculous thing to be annoyed about, but i always hate when season box sizes change throughout the course of a show (ex. gilmore girls, alias)
Old 01-04-08, 03:47 PM
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I gues it depends on how many epidodes they do finally get out. I think that this seasons sets will look funny on everyones DVD shelveds if they ever get the entire series' on DVD. Season 1 and 2 -- 5 disc sets, season 3 -- 1 disc set, season 4-6 -- 5 disc sets. They'll easily stand out on the bookshelves.
Old 01-04-08, 04:55 PM
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well, think of how many shows started out with midseason replacement premiere seasons?
Old 01-04-08, 06:11 PM
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Am I the only one who's feared these shorter seasons because of the outcome they'll have on how each season will look on my shelf?
Old 01-04-08, 11:33 PM
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Season DVDs will be cheaper mostly due to the fact that sales are way down, but I'm sure less content will play a part in it. People aren't going to have as much interest in buying the latest Grey's Anatomy (just a popular example) season this fall due to loss of interest in the series caused by the strike. If studios don't drop the prices considerably, their sales will suffer even more.
Old 01-04-08, 11:46 PM
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Increase residuals are going to drive up the cost of TV DVD sets. If the studios have to pay more money to the writiers, they're going to make up for it by raising the price.
Old 01-04-08, 11:53 PM
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Originally Posted by renaldow
Increase residuals are going to drive up the cost of TV DVD sets. If the studios have to pay more money to the writiers, they're going to make up for it by raising the price.
What makes you think this is an option? The average DVD consumer is not representitive of the average DVD Talk member. If studios increase the price they are fucking themselves over. People just aren't gonna buy the seasons if they increase the price and decrease the amount of content.
Old 01-05-08, 12:25 AM
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Originally Posted by John S.
What makes you think this is an option? The average DVD consumer is not representitive of the average DVD Talk member. If studios increase the price they are fucking themselves over. People just aren't gonna buy the seasons if they increase the price and decrease the amount of content.
Very true. For example, if Heroes Volume 2 comes out, even after a WGA compromise and increased residuals, and is slightly under the season 1 msrp, say 42.99, I sure as hell won't be there buying it. Another reason I did not buy Office season 1 until it was on sale. It just did not make fiscal sense when I bought Season 2 for $30 and Season 1, with 25% of the content, was $20. The average consumer will not go for this. TV seasons can't go up any higher in price, especially if the content decreases dramatically.
Old 01-05-08, 01:18 AM
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Originally Posted by renaldow
Increase residuals are going to drive up the cost of TV DVD sets. If the studios have to pay more money to the writiers, they're going to make up for it by raising the price.
For every $10 a consumer spends on a DVD, the writer gets two cents. The writers are fighting to get four cents-- Somehow I don't foresee huge price hikes.
Old 01-05-08, 01:28 AM
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Is this a serious question? No. First seasons with less episodes, older shows which went from 30 so episodes to around 25, and strike shortened seasons from the last TV strike go for the same price as the normal length ones. I would be shocked if the prices were cheaper.
Old 01-08-08, 10:13 AM
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No, of course not. Look at Paramount's Star Trek Voyager for proof of that. The first season was only 16 episodes, compared with 26+ episodes for all but two other seasons of all the Trek shows (TNG's season 2 had 22 episodes, tos season 3 had 24 episodes). Even though it was only a half-season, they still charged the same price as every other Trek season.

This strike is all about the production companies and studios being greedy bastards, and based on that, I'm predicting the same insanely high prices for half-seasons as they have charged for full seasons.

Oh, another good example ... Battlestar Galactica ... They split season 2 into 2.0 and 2.5, but charged the same amount as a full season for each half-season box ... They're releasing season 3 as a full set, for the same price as a half second-season. wtf?
Old 01-08-08, 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by nothingfails
well, think of how many shows started out with midseason replacement premiere seasons?
Such as Seinfeld and Newsradio for example? When that happened, S1 and S2 were combined in the DVD release of both series. In the case of Newradio the S1 & S2 set is more expensive than the standard season set but not DOUBLE. So I think they should be cheaper like S3 of Arrested Development was compared to S1 and 2 (at least by MSRP standards anyway).
Old 01-08-08, 11:41 AM
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HAHAHAHA, cheaper sets........oh, that's a good one.
Old 01-08-08, 04:14 PM
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Originally Posted by OmahaStar
No, of course not. Look at Paramount's Star Trek Voyager for proof of that. The first season was only 16 episodes, compared with 26+ episodes for all but two other seasons of all the Trek shows (TNG's season 2 had 22 episodes, tos season 3 had 24 episodes). Even though it was only a half-season, they still charged the same price as every other Trek season.

This strike is all about the production companies and studios being greedy bastards, and based on that, I'm predicting the same insanely high prices for half-seasons as they have charged for full seasons.

Oh, another good example ... Battlestar Galactica ... They split season 2 into 2.0 and 2.5, but charged the same amount as a full season for each half-season box ... They're releasing season 3 as a full set, for the same price as a half second-season. wtf?
Anytime anyone is talking about prices of tv season sets, any of the Trek series are NOT the ones to use. Paramount has always priced them way above where they should be. And one season of one series has cost the same as one season of another series. I am sure that this pricing was done more for uniformity across the series than anythign else. Another show that was victim to this overprice mania was the X-Files. At least until the slim sets came out. Oh, and any season set from hbo is always way overpriced.

Your BSG example only seems to hold water with the third season. First season was 13 eps, second was 20 and the third was 20. so thats boxsets of 13, 10, 10, 20 epsiodes respectively. Assuming all 4 are the same price the only one that I see that is out of whack is the third season. It should be more expensive than the others.

If I remember correctly the first season set of Buffy was cheaper than any of the others when it first came out, and It had fewer episodes and less discs in it.
Old 01-08-08, 07:31 PM
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Much like short seasons of shows like The Sopranos, studios won't drop the price a dime regardless of how many episodes are included.
Old 01-08-08, 08:59 PM
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Studios will still charge full price regardless
Old 01-09-08, 11:00 AM
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Yeah, this is a really dumb question. I don't see the reasoning how anyone would figure that the studios would think to drop prices because of a strike?
Old 01-09-08, 11:48 AM
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The answer is yes - just reference the first season of Grey's Anatomy.
Old 01-09-08, 11:53 AM
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I guess I'm the only one that doesn't even want them to be released. Just wait until they've had another full season and release them together, "Heroes Seasons 2 & 3" for example. Then charge more for both.

I sure as heck am not going to pay any money at all for a Lost Season 4 set of only 8 episodes.

Last edited by Wolf359; 01-09-08 at 12:08 PM.
Old 01-09-08, 03:35 PM
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See I think the prices will go down. They won't be half-price, but they won't be full price either. I mean look at examples from Fox. They seem to mostly charge an MSRP based upon disc amount. ("Arrested Development Season 3" was $29.99 with 2 discs, "Buffy season 1" was $39.99 with 3 discs, "Firefly/Simpson" are $49.99 with 4 discs, and MOST 6-disc sets are $59.99.

It seems to be the same deal with Beuna Vista and Warner Brothers as well...

So I'm thinking for the most part episode count will matter as much as how many discs the sets will take up. And since most series are hover around 12 episodes I'd say most will be 3/4 disc sets at $39.99 vs. the regular $59.99...
Old 01-09-08, 04:03 PM
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Originally Posted by critterdvd
See I think the prices will go down. They won't be half-price, but they won't be full price either. I mean look at examples from Fox. They seem to mostly charge an MSRP based upon disc amount. ("Arrested Development Season 3" was $29.99 with 2 discs, "Buffy season 1" was $39.99 with 3 discs, "Firefly/Simpson" are $49.99 with 4 discs, and MOST 6-disc sets are $59.99.

It seems to be the same deal with Beuna Vista and Warner Brothers as well...

So I'm thinking for the most part episode count will matter as much as how many discs the sets will take up. And since most series are hover around 12 episodes I'd say most will be 3/4 disc sets at $39.99 vs. the regular $59.99...

Finally. Someone that gets it. I totally agree with this post.

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