Future of Movie Distribution

Josh Catone adds succor to an idea I’ve been touting for a while about releasing a movie simultaneously via a BitTorrent client, on DVD and in the cinemas.

Current movie distribution divides movie watchers into two categories:

Cinema Goers

DVD Buyers/Renters

When in the fact there is a third, much maligned, much neglected but far larger audience mass:

The Digital User

Like the ex-Talent Agent Tech Zealot that I am, I’ve spent the past 4 years researching patterns and distribution volumes in online pirate movie distribution and the era of DVD-Rips.

This is a potential audience conservatively estimated at 80 million, give them an authorised film rather than a recorded cinema rip, give them additional content and charge them a nominal sum, say $5 per download and sit back and let them talk up your movie to their friends, the same friends who will be either Cinema Goers, DVDers, or Digital Users.

As Hulu and the BBC iPlayer record downloads north of 75 million so movie distribution must also face up to the fact ‘event users’ those who make a night of a trip to the cinema and look forward to a Nandos after the main feature, are a distinct user, not the totality.

UPDATE: Mininova will shortly record 5 billion downloads. That’s a big audience.

Posted in Bittorrent, Movies, New Business Model | No Comments »