Planet Earth top earning high-def title

Series takes in $3.2 million on both HD DVD and Blu-ray

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 6/7/2007

The documentary was released on both high-def formats and DVD on Apri 24.

JUNE 7 | BBC Video documentary Planet Earth: The Complete Series has generated $3.2 million in sales on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, making it the top high-definition title to date on a revenue basis, according to the label and its distributor Warner Home Video.

Planet Earth reached many retailers’ top seller lists when it streeted on April 24, and its high-def versions have continued to stick around the Top 10 of Amazon.com’s best overall DVD rankings. It also has stayed in Rentrak's HD DVD and Blu-ray Top 10 charts.

The series first ran on the Discovery Channel and was released day-and-date on Blu-ray, HD DVD and standard-definition DVD.

“The success is nothing more than a tribute to the genius of these filmmakers, the scope and ambition of BBC and Discovery’s mission in funding such a mammoth undertaking,” said Burton Cromer, senior VP of consumer products for BBC Worldwide Americas. “We will continue to support both formats, as this is both a revenue-maximizing strategy and a consumer-focused approach, making sure anyone who has bought an HD DVD or Blu-ray player has the best software available for it.”

Warner’s The Departed ranks No. 2 behind Planet Earth on a revenue basis, but the Jack Nicholson drama was the first to sell 100,000 units. Planet Earth has a higher price tag at $99.98 on HD DVD or Blu-ray. The Departed is priced at $34.99 on Blu-ray and $39.99 for the HD DVD/DVD combo.

“The consumer response to Planet Earth: The Complete Series on both high-definition formats has been absolutely incredible, and we are truly proud to be a part of it,” Warner president Ron Sanders said. “This landmark series was made for high-definition, and Planet Earth will be an iconic staple in our natural history documentary library for a very long time.”

« Back | Print