CBS DVD to increase its release slate

Label plans to roll out 105 to 110 titles

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 1/4/2008

JAN. 4 | After multiple reorganizations, CBS DVD anticipates expanding its release slate dramatically in 2008.

The division of CBS Corp. now retains creative oversight over series from former sibling Paramount Television, including Beverly Hills 90210 and Twin Peaks, and Showtime, home of Dexter and The L Word.

Despite Viacom and CBS now being separate companies, Viacom’s Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS DVD work together, with Paramount handling sales and distribution and the two companies sharing marketing duties.

In 2008, CBS DVD is set to roll out 105 to 110 titles, representing a 13% to 18% lift from 2007 and an 80% gain over 2005.

“The [overall] category does show flattening growth compared to previous years, but that is not a testament to how viable the business is,” said Ken Ross, executive VP and general manager at CBS DVD. “We have lots of titles that we will put out that will do substantial volume.”

Ross believes in the enduring popularity of TV DVD because of the way it uniquely creates devoted consumer followings.

“I think fans are harder core and have greater loyalty for TV DVD than they do for film,” said Ross. “You have this long-term relationship with a show, where in a season, you might visit with it 20 times a year. A movie might just be a two-hour experience.”

The label predicts that its first high-definition release, the Nov. 20 HD DVD release of Star Trek: Season One, will reach 100,000 units sold. That momentum has led the company to commit to releasing all subsequent Star Trek seasons on high-def, amounting to two more HD DVD titles. That is ambitious, as most major studios are not yet heavily mining TV DVD libraries for catalog titles to release in next-gen formats.

“I think that when we are looking at catalog and some sitcoms, we don’t see [high-def] moving the dial that much, but with some of our sci-fi and action-adventure, it can be a very positive format change for us,” said Ross.

Nothing has been confirmed, but Ross speculates that CBS’ CSI is a great upcoming candidate for HD DVD release, as “it lends itself to high-def with its magnificent effects.”

Also, CBS’ first-season release of Showtime’s Dexter has sold more than 250,000 copies on standard DVD, respectable for a series that is seen by a limited number of subscribers.

Ross hopes to keep satisfying consumer demand through 2008 with the release of Duckman, a cult ’90s animated program. An online petition for the series’ DVD bow has garnered more than 7,000 signatures.

“There has been a level of fan demand for this show for a long time,” said Ross, who declined to specify exact reasons for the DVD release hold-up. “We really had to wrap our brain around figuring a way to do it.”

Exact street date or pricing has not yet been set for Duckman, but it’s possible that multiple seasons will be released within one package next year.

“Our philosophy is that we are TV, so we are going to work harder than anybody to try to find a way to put a series out if there is a demand for it,” said Ross. “We bring that same mentality to any and everything we can do.”