Warner launches catalog title pricing promotion
#1
DVD Talk Reviewer
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Blu-ray.com
Posts: 10,380
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Warner launches catalog title pricing promotion
JULY 11 | Warner Home Video is launching aggressive pricing initiatives for the fourth quarter, including its most comprehensive Blu-ray Disc promotion yet, say retailers.
Starting early September and rolling through first-quarter 2009, Warner will offer a Blu-ray point-of-sale rebate program with which retailers will essentially be able to order participating catalog titles for around $11.
Even with a retail mark-up on the featured titles—including The Fugitive, Enter the Dragon, Clockwork Orange, The Shining, The Aviator, Road Warrior and Swordfish—the price tag to consumers should be significantly less than the titles’ current average of $20 to $25 retail price at outlets such as Amazon.com and Best Buy.
In this program, retailers will buy the titles at their present pricing but obtain rebate money back upon the sale of each unit. That should ultimately amount to a relatively inexpensive $11 cost for retailers.
Additionally, Warner will offer rebates, although less extensive, for newer Blu-ray releases, including 300, The Departed, I Am Legend, Ocean’s 13 and We Are Marshall. This layer of the Blu-ray program also will run from early September to the first quarter, according to store sources.
The consumer price for these titles is likely to fall somewhere between $17 and $20. That would still represent a deal for shoppers, as titles such as 300 are now falling between $24 and $30 at outlets such as Amazon and Best Buy.
Starting early September and rolling through first-quarter 2009, Warner will offer a Blu-ray point-of-sale rebate program with which retailers will essentially be able to order participating catalog titles for around $11.
Even with a retail mark-up on the featured titles—including The Fugitive, Enter the Dragon, Clockwork Orange, The Shining, The Aviator, Road Warrior and Swordfish—the price tag to consumers should be significantly less than the titles’ current average of $20 to $25 retail price at outlets such as Amazon.com and Best Buy.
In this program, retailers will buy the titles at their present pricing but obtain rebate money back upon the sale of each unit. That should ultimately amount to a relatively inexpensive $11 cost for retailers.
Additionally, Warner will offer rebates, although less extensive, for newer Blu-ray releases, including 300, The Departed, I Am Legend, Ocean’s 13 and We Are Marshall. This layer of the Blu-ray program also will run from early September to the first quarter, according to store sources.
The consumer price for these titles is likely to fall somewhere between $17 and $20. That would still represent a deal for shoppers, as titles such as 300 are now falling between $24 and $30 at outlets such as Amazon and Best Buy.
Pro-B
#4
Suspended
After their recent announcement about catalog titles selling poorly this seems to be a way to boost sales. Good for them. Hopefully it works.
#5
DVD Talk Reviewer
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Blu-ray.com
Posts: 10,380
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by GizmoDVD
After their recent announcement about catalog titles selling poorly this seems to be a way to boost sales. Good for them. Hopefully it works.
Pro-B
#7
Originally Posted by GizmoDVD
After their recent announcement about catalog titles selling poorly this seems to be a way to boost sales. Good for them. Hopefully it works.
#11
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,389
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good news. Let's keep the bickering out of this. I don't think that this can be spun in a negative light, as anything that drops prices has to be seen as a positive for consumers and the future of the format.
#12
Suspended
Cant post link but check out dvdtown.com and Warners response to not doing BD Live this year. It's the last paragraph. Catalog titles are harder to sell on Blu then it was on DVD.
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by XavierMike
Fantastic! Bring on the releases. Cassablanca I'm looking at you.
Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt
Is L.A. Confidential part of this promotion?
#16
Suspended
Probably older titles. Problem is many of them have been available for roughly $14.99 several times already.
They need to do BOGOs like Sony did last year. That will sell some titles for sure.
They need to do BOGOs like Sony did last year. That will sell some titles for sure.
#17
DVD Talk Reviewer
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Blu-ray.com
Posts: 10,380
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by GizmoDVD
Cant post link but check out dvdtown.com and Warners response to not doing BD Live this year. It's the last paragraph. Catalog titles are harder to sell on Blu then it was on DVD.
Warner Bros. do not believe that consumers want BD-Live before they really can make a difference.
This was made clear in London at a "Driving Digital Content" conference recently.
"Every studio is working on BD-Live, but it will have to be something absolutely mind-boggling for consumers to get excited" said Marc Gareton, Vice President of Warner Bros. International. So people should not expect to see any BD-Live titles from the studio in 2008 he concluded.
He said that he was happy with the performance of Blu-ray in general but that it was harder to sell catalog titles than it was on DVD. He said an option could be to include a "Free" digital copy so people got more choices should they decide to upgrade old titles to HD.
Source: HCC Magazine.
This was made clear in London at a "Driving Digital Content" conference recently.
"Every studio is working on BD-Live, but it will have to be something absolutely mind-boggling for consumers to get excited" said Marc Gareton, Vice President of Warner Bros. International. So people should not expect to see any BD-Live titles from the studio in 2008 he concluded.
He said that he was happy with the performance of Blu-ray in general but that it was harder to sell catalog titles than it was on DVD. He said an option could be to include a "Free" digital copy so people got more choices should they decide to upgrade old titles to HD.
Source: HCC Magazine.
Pro-B
Last edited by pro-bassoonist; 07-12-08 at 12:25 AM.
#18
DVD Talk Godfather
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Home of 2013 NFL champion Seahawks
Posts: 52,603
Received 1,013 Likes
on
837 Posts
Originally Posted by Drexl
Something tells me it won't be new catalog titles such as Casablanca and L.A. Confidential. Note how they mention "participating" titles.
#21
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Seattle
Posts: 2,165
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This is very welcome news, I've been buying BDs regardless of price and now my purse will see some relief...
Pro-B, thanks for the link to the news!
Amazon has L.A. Confidential listed at a $19.99 pre-order price, with no discounts.
That just may be SRP. Nonetheless, I just placed my order and with their pre-order price guarantee, if it lowers in price before release, I'll be refunded the difference.
Pro-B, thanks for the link to the news!
Amazon has L.A. Confidential listed at a $19.99 pre-order price, with no discounts.
That just may be SRP. Nonetheless, I just placed my order and with their pre-order price guarantee, if it lowers in price before release, I'll be refunded the difference.
#22
Suspended
BTW, Here is the full article for those that did not click through the link. Additional information is posted regarding some stores responses and the fact that the DVD counterparts will also be dropped (or get incentives) as well.
Warner launches pricing promotion
Initiative includes catalog, Blu-ray titles
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 7/11/2008
Warner launches pricing promotion
Initiative includes catalog, Blu-ray titles
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 7/11/2008
JULY 11 | Warner Home Video is launching aggressive pricing initiatives for the fourth quarter, including its most comprehensive Blu-ray Disc promotion yet, say retailers.
Starting early September and rolling through first-quarter 2009, Warner will offer a Blu-ray point-of-sale rebate program with which retailers will essentially be able to order participating catalog titles for around $11.
Even with a retail mark-up on the featured titles—including The Fugitive, Enter the Dragon, Clockwork Orange, The Shining, The Aviator, Road Warrior and Swordfish—the price tag to consumers should be significantly less than the titles’ current average of $20 to $25 retail price at outlets such as Amazon.com and Best Buy.
In this program, retailers will buy the titles at their present pricing but obtain rebate money back upon the sale of each unit. That should ultimately amount to a relatively inexpensive $11 cost for retailers.
Additionally, Warner will offer rebates, although less extensive, for newer Blu-ray releases, including 300, The Departed, I Am Legend, Ocean’s 13 and We Are Marshall. This layer of the Blu-ray program also will run from early September to the first quarter, according to store sources.
The consumer price for these titles is likely to fall somewhere between $17 and $20. That would still represent a deal for shoppers, as titles such as 300 are now falling between $24 and $30 at outlets such as Amazon and Best Buy. Warner did not comment by deadline.
Although retailers hope Warner’s Blu-ray strategy will pay off with boosted sales, some store sources worry that the format is becoming devalued too quickly.
“They are trying to get this software business going,” said one source. “But it’s really a double-edged sword. We’re happy to be able to offer it, but it can be a slippery slope. Consumers might get in the mindset that they want everything discounted. If that becomes the case, we will shorten the life of Blu-ray just like we did with DVD.”
At deadline, Newbury Comics buyer Ian Leshin had not yet learned of Warner’s Blu-ray plan. But he seemed to embrace the studio’s strategy. The New England chain found success with Lionsgate’s Blu-ray repricings earlier this year. Lionsgate was the first studio to permanently reprice its Blu-ray titles, including Terminator 2 and Devil’s Rejects, down $10 to a new $19.99 SRP. “Terminator 2 is our biggest-selling catalog title with the $19.99 SRP,” said Leshin. “It can become more of an impulse thing to buy.”
Warner’s Blu-ray rebate program comes on top of a straight repricing plan for a slew of standard-definition DVD titles that also goes into effect in September. As detailed in a July 2 newsletter to retailers, Warner will drop the price on varying titles to either a $19.96, $14.96 or $12.97 SRP. Some relatively new Warner theatrical DVDs are slated to fall to $19.96, including June 17 release Fool’s Gold and June 24’s 10,000 B.C. The discs originally streeted at a $28.98 SRP.
The $14.96 repricing will span such titles as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Blood Diamond, and the $12.97 price point will cover titles including Wedding Crashers and Ant Bully.
All studios often reprice titles as they age on shelves, but the retail community similarly has mixed feelings about such plans.
“My first thought is that I like repricings because it does provide our customers with a better value, where they can get the same title for less money and enjoy a better margin,” said Kirk Kirkpatrick, president of video at wholesaler WaxWorks VideoWorks. However, the studios “are repricing a little quickly on some, but they want to get the fourth quarter going.”
One retail executive was less enthusiastic about studio repricings in general, blaming them for unnecessarily encouraging customers to delay purchasing. The executive wishes pricing promotions were shorter in duration.
“Customers get in the habit of seeing the price go down and down, and they’ll get in the habit of waiting longer to buy,” the executive explained. “If you can do something that is very short-term, that will give customers a reason to buy.”
Starting early September and rolling through first-quarter 2009, Warner will offer a Blu-ray point-of-sale rebate program with which retailers will essentially be able to order participating catalog titles for around $11.
Even with a retail mark-up on the featured titles—including The Fugitive, Enter the Dragon, Clockwork Orange, The Shining, The Aviator, Road Warrior and Swordfish—the price tag to consumers should be significantly less than the titles’ current average of $20 to $25 retail price at outlets such as Amazon.com and Best Buy.
In this program, retailers will buy the titles at their present pricing but obtain rebate money back upon the sale of each unit. That should ultimately amount to a relatively inexpensive $11 cost for retailers.
Additionally, Warner will offer rebates, although less extensive, for newer Blu-ray releases, including 300, The Departed, I Am Legend, Ocean’s 13 and We Are Marshall. This layer of the Blu-ray program also will run from early September to the first quarter, according to store sources.
The consumer price for these titles is likely to fall somewhere between $17 and $20. That would still represent a deal for shoppers, as titles such as 300 are now falling between $24 and $30 at outlets such as Amazon and Best Buy. Warner did not comment by deadline.
Although retailers hope Warner’s Blu-ray strategy will pay off with boosted sales, some store sources worry that the format is becoming devalued too quickly.
“They are trying to get this software business going,” said one source. “But it’s really a double-edged sword. We’re happy to be able to offer it, but it can be a slippery slope. Consumers might get in the mindset that they want everything discounted. If that becomes the case, we will shorten the life of Blu-ray just like we did with DVD.”
At deadline, Newbury Comics buyer Ian Leshin had not yet learned of Warner’s Blu-ray plan. But he seemed to embrace the studio’s strategy. The New England chain found success with Lionsgate’s Blu-ray repricings earlier this year. Lionsgate was the first studio to permanently reprice its Blu-ray titles, including Terminator 2 and Devil’s Rejects, down $10 to a new $19.99 SRP. “Terminator 2 is our biggest-selling catalog title with the $19.99 SRP,” said Leshin. “It can become more of an impulse thing to buy.”
Warner’s Blu-ray rebate program comes on top of a straight repricing plan for a slew of standard-definition DVD titles that also goes into effect in September. As detailed in a July 2 newsletter to retailers, Warner will drop the price on varying titles to either a $19.96, $14.96 or $12.97 SRP. Some relatively new Warner theatrical DVDs are slated to fall to $19.96, including June 17 release Fool’s Gold and June 24’s 10,000 B.C. The discs originally streeted at a $28.98 SRP.
The $14.96 repricing will span such titles as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Blood Diamond, and the $12.97 price point will cover titles including Wedding Crashers and Ant Bully.
All studios often reprice titles as they age on shelves, but the retail community similarly has mixed feelings about such plans.
“My first thought is that I like repricings because it does provide our customers with a better value, where they can get the same title for less money and enjoy a better margin,” said Kirk Kirkpatrick, president of video at wholesaler WaxWorks VideoWorks. However, the studios “are repricing a little quickly on some, but they want to get the fourth quarter going.”
One retail executive was less enthusiastic about studio repricings in general, blaming them for unnecessarily encouraging customers to delay purchasing. The executive wishes pricing promotions were shorter in duration.
“Customers get in the habit of seeing the price go down and down, and they’ll get in the habit of waiting longer to buy,” the executive explained. “If you can do something that is very short-term, that will give customers a reason to buy.”
#23
The studios have been terrible this year with getting good releases out. I don't see why people can blindly speak positives when we rarely get positive news regarding the format. I don't mind posting gushing remarks but there hasn't been any good Blu-ray news other than Criterion's announcement and The Godfather.
#24
Senior Member
This is great news to me. There's a slew of Warner titles I have been wanting to add, but didn't want to shell out $25 for. I'll be filling in quite a few blanks in my collection when this whole thing comes down.
Thanks for the head's up.
Thanks for the head's up.
#25
DVD Talk Hero
MOD NOTE: Removed a whole bunch of bickering posts. Please do not even comment about how people spin things, as that only leads to more of THAT discussion which none of us want. Just use the REPORT function. Thank you.
namja
Moderator, DVD Talk Forums
namja
Moderator, DVD Talk Forums