DVD deluge set to impoverish TV fans in Q3
By Thomas K. ArnoldThu Jun 23, 2:50 AM ET
The crowded TV-to-DVD pipeline is threatening to burst in the third quarter, as studios announce an unprecedented number of season sets, including packages for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Simpsons" and "
Smallville."
Each Tuesday has several high-profile releases, and Paramount alone has nearly two dozen titles slotted for the three summer months, including the first season and TV-to-DVD debut of "The Amazing Race."
"There are so many sets rolling out, and the studios are still making announcements," said Gord Lacey, who runs the Web site
http://www.TVShowsOnDVD.com. "August will clear out people's bank accounts, and September will push them into debt."
What's behind the rush? Two factors, studio sources say: a weak theatrical slate, as studios hold their biggest summer blockbusters for the fourth-quarter holiday selling season, and the fact that all things TV are front-of-mind as the networks prepare to roll out their new seasons.
"The end of the third quarter is when new TV seasons launch, so there's a lot of awareness about TV programming in general," Feldstein said.
One of the busiest dates on the TV-to-DVD schedule is July 26, when releases include second-season sets of "The Brady Bunch," "Star Trek Enterprise," and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," Season 1 sets of "Remington Steele" and "3rd Rock From the Sun," and Season 6 of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."
Another crowded date is Aug. 16: Season 6 of "The Simpsons," Season 4 of "Will & Grace," Season 3 of "The Andy Griffith Show," Season 5 of "I Love Lucy," and Season 1 of "The Office."
Seven sets are slotted for Sept. 13: Seasons 2 of "Charmed," "Las Vegas" and "The Pretender," Season 3 of "Taxi,"
Season 4 of "Smallville," and Seasons 6 of "Frasier" and "Cheers."
Lacey predicts two of the quarter's biggest sellers will be Season 1 sets of "Lost" (Sept. 6) and "Desperate Housewives" (Sept. 20).
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
