Video NewsBriefs, September 15, 2010
By Raya Kuzyk
Sep 15, 2010
Prime Suspect, the iconic TV police drama created by Lynda La Plante and starring Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison, won seven Emmys, eight BAFTAs, and a Peabody during its 15-year run on networks including PBS. Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection is now available from Acorn Media as a nine-disc set, with extras including a 50-minute behind-the-scenes special and a 23-minute Series 6 featurette. More at www.acornonline.com. (Read LJ’s review of Trial & Retribution, another La Plante police procedural available on DVD, on p. 40)
Blockbuster, which dominated the home video rental business for over a decade, plans to file for bankruptcy protection this month, reports the Los Angeles Times. That would leave public libraries, Netflix, and Redbox as the primary lenders of DVDs to Americans, in that order (see Video NewsBriefs, LJ 9/1/10). Download the Online Computer Library Center survey “How Libraries Stack Up,” which reports on the 2.1 million DVDs borrowed daily from libraries, at bit.ly/dghO4f.
Netflix has entered into an agreement with Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM that will add those studios’ films to its online streaming library 90 days after their screening on Epix, a pay TV channel launched by the three studios in October 2009. Streaming rights will last 16–17 months, then shift to basic cable channels. According to Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, the company’s streaming rights now cover some 46 percent of the movies shown in U.S. theaters this year.
A&E Home Entertainment has launched a new Instant Expert line of DVD documentary “quick guides” developed by History™ and dealing with topics in ancient, American, and world history; arts and literature; and science and technology. Among the inaugural releases are Beowulf, Egypt, Ben Franklin, The French Revolution, The Mayflower, and The Story of Oil. Each program, priced at $14.95, includes an interactive quiz and a study guide. Purchasing info at shopaetv.com.
PureFlix Entertainment has created a new studio imprint, Harvest Distribution, which will release movies exclusively from independent faith-based producers. Current releases include the sf drama The Scarf and the family comedy Holyman Undercover. More at www.pureflix.com.
