Pages

Friday, October 24, 2008

Disney movies on tap at TiVo

Disney is moving aggressively into new media. A couple weeks ago, they announced their deal with Netflix and yesterday they announced a deal with Tivo. "TiVo is set to announce Thursday that hundreds of movie titles, most significantly from Disney, will be available to its broadband subscribers courtesy of deals with CinemaNow and Jaman." It adds another level of value to the Tivo brand. And Disney produces great content and can continue to monetize its library every few years as new parents seek great programming for their new families to watch. Will Snow White, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and all their other titles ever grow old. I doubt it. It is that rite of passage to share our favorite movies growing up with our own children.

What does change is the method of distribution. Where once the only place to go was the movie theater then The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday Night TV, we have moved through VHS, dvd, and now download. Disney is successfully driving that trend. These new families are technologically savvy and prefer new media to old. Whether it is download to own or rent, or continue to purchase dvd or cd, the flexibility to deliver the content in whatever form the consumer desires makes it worthwhile. And as long as a digital copy cannot be easily shared and drm is working, Disney can be assured that their content remains valuable for the next generation as well.

Oprah Endorsing Amazon's Kindle

Seems like I'm not the only one that thinks Kindle is the future of reading. Oprah also agrees and is giving Kindle her thumbs up today on her show. If Oprah's Book Club recommendations are any indication of her affect on book sales, her endorsement should spike Kindle sales. "In an email to subscribers, Amazon says its founder Jeff Bezos will be appearing on Oprah to talk to her about her new favourite gadget."

Still, it is a down economy and consumers are cutting back on their spending, even their Holiday spending plans will be reduced. For Kindle to succeed, it simply needs to demonstrate how quickly the consumer will save money with Kindle versus paper. Focus marketing on cost savings and you will ultimately drive sales. Throw in the trees saved and you hit a double. Add Oprah's endorsement and it appears to be a walk off grand slam!