Lions Gate Entertainment to Support Blu-ray Disc Format

[Marwin]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...9&cs=1&s=h&p=0

Lions Gate now a true Blu-ray fan
Studio commits to Sony-backed DVD format
By JENNIFER NETHERBY (VARIETY)

The Blu-ray DVD format continues to gain momentum, with Lions Gate the latest company to commit to releasing movies and other titles on the Sony-backed high-definition format, expected to launch early next year.

Lions Gate represents just 4% of the homevideo market and as such isn't expected to shift the balance in Blu-ray's direction. But today's announcement reps the latest in a string of coups for Blu-ray, following last month's announcement by 20th Century Fox that the studio will release its programming on the format.

On Tuesday, Universal Music Group -- no connection to the Universal movie studio -- said it had joined the Blu-ray Disc Assn. as a contributing member. The company stopped short of pledging to release its music discs in the format.

Lions Gate joins Fox, Disney and Sony to endorse Blu-ray and commit to releasing high-def discs in the format. Warner Bros., Paramount and the Universal film studio are backing the rival high-def format HD DVD.

DreamWorks remains the only major studio yet to pick a side.

Studios have been scaling back their previously signaled plans for release of a slate of movie titles in HD DVD by year's end amid concerns that only limited numbers of HD DVD players will be ready for a much-trumpeted holiday 2005 debut.

Lions Gate president Steve Beeks said the company was swayed in favor of Blu-ray by new disclosures on manufacturing costs. He also lauded the Blu-ray group's decision to adopt renewable copyright protections.

"The timing was right," Beeks said Tuesday. "We have been very adamant about sitting on the fence for a long period of time. But it was a conscious decision on our part, because we felt the best thing for us to do was to wait until there was enough information in the marketplace."

In the last two weeks, disc replication companies have shown the studio that manufacturing costs on Blu-ray would drop in the next three to five years to within the range of what the studio currently pays to make standard DVDs, he said.

Beeks said the inclusion of the Blu-ray format on PlayStation 3, bowing next spring, also is notable.

"We want to be one of the first movers in technology," Beeks said. "We anticipate being among the first to have titles released on Blu-ray."

Lions Gate said it plans to put out new releases, library films and TV programming at launch. The company didn't say how many or which titles it will release in high-def, but touted recent DVD releases including "Saw," "The Punisher" and catalog titles "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Rambo" and "Dirty Dancing."

Even as the company picked its side, Beeks said he hopes unification talks between Blu-ray and HD DVD backers will continue.

"I think there's definitely still a chance of coming together," he said. "We're months away from a launch. With the HD DVD commitment pulled back, there's some breathing room."