Seriously? DirecTV plans $30 Premium VOD charge for films 8 weeks post release. Really? Piracy AHOY!

THEATER OWNERS VS. PREMIUM VOD VS. NETFLIX

Movies and television may be media’s most volatile business arenas, with battles opening up on a variety of fronts.

Theaters owners and studios are inching toward open war as D-Day nears for Thursday's DirecTV launch of premium VOD -- Hollywood’s daring move at last to reconfigure release windows by making current movies available sooner for home viewing.

Through DirecTV’s looming “Home Premium,” Sony, Time Warner's Warner Bros., Comcast-controlled Universal and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox are aiming to accelerate movies to home screens eight weeks from theatrical release -- shrunken from an average of 12 -- at $30 per VOD rental.

Also read: Theater Owners Ready to Retaliate Over Premium VOD

Worried that moviegoers might skip the megaplex for the home couch, some top circuits reportedly are privately considering retaliation, including killing movie previews and lobby posters of upcoming movies as well as other financial counterattacks.

Read Johnnie L. Roberts' excellent, long & detailed post on thewrap.com

http://bit.ly/gOXzGj