Thomas K. Arnold Archives - Page 6 of 7

Closing Thoughts — and Shots — on CES 2020

Moments after my obligatory Facebook posting of pictures from my visit to CES 2020, industry veteran Gary Khammar — who for 10 years, from 1980 to 1990, was EVP at RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, the precursor to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment — commented, “How many CES shows have you attended in your career? The number … Continue reading “Closing Thoughts — and Shots — on CES 2020”
A Message to Our Readers for 2020

As we put a wrap on 2019, I want to send my thanks to all of our loyal readers for your support of Media Play News — and our mission to cover the at-home and direct-to-consumer sector of the entertainment business, from transactional to streaming. Thanks to you — and, of course, to our team … Continue reading “A Message to Our Readers for 2020”
Black Friday Musings

I ventured out on Black Friday not so much in search of bargains (all right, maybe a new laptop at Best Buy) but to see if there were any significant differences at retail from prior years. The biggest change, on the home entertainment front, is that the buying process has become a lot more complicated … Continue reading “Black Friday Musings”
Netflix Challengers: Are There Flies in the Ointment?

This is the month when the long talked-about “streaming wars” finally get underway — at least, the first round. Both Apple TV+ and Disney+ are launching in November, with two more heavyweights — NBCUniversal’s Peacock and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max — debuting next April and May, respectively. Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) pioneer Netflix has ruled the proverbial … Continue reading “Netflix Challengers: Are There Flies in the Ointment?”
Confusing the Consumer

Remember when things were simple? The only way to watch movies at home, on demand, was on videocassette. Yeah, they were clunky. The pause function was a flickering joke. And you had to bring them back to the place you rented them from or risk incurring an onerous “late fee.” But you knew what you … Continue reading “Confusing the Consumer”
Don’t Dis the Disc

The little boy’s eyes lit up. No more than 5, he was the son of a woman who keeps house for a neighbor. She speaks only Spanish; the little fellow is bilingual. He had brought with him three Blu-ray Discs – Bumblebee, How to Train Your Dragon, and the second LEGO Movie – he planned … Continue reading “Don’t Dis the Disc”
Days of Fragmentation, Polarization

The home entertainment landscape has never been more fragmented — and polarized. Fragmented, because there’s no longer one standard “product” that consumers can buy or rent. They can acquire movies and TV shows in three different physical formats — DVD, Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD — as well as digitally, with options for standard-definition, … Continue reading “Days of Fragmentation, Polarization”
‘Not on Netflix’

I’m a little confused about the whole “Direct to Consumer” trend and what it means for home entertainment. I get the concept — delivering movies, TV shows and other filmed content directly to consumers over the Internet, bypassing third-party distributors — but honestly, what are we selling here? Consumers aren’t buying individual movies or shows, … Continue reading “‘Not on Netflix’”
A Message to Our Readers

As another year comes to an end, I’d like to say thank you to our readers and our advertisers for making us a part of your professional lives. Media Play News is coming off a very successful first year. We began the year with a new company, name, brand, website, newsletter, and production and art … Continue reading “A Message to Our Readers”
Racing with ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ Stunt Coordinator Wade Eastwood — and Living to Tell About It

It’s an indescribable feeling, speeding toward a 90-degree curve at 140 miles an hour and knowing that you’re not going to die. That’s because I wasn’t behind the wheel. The driver was Wade Eastwood, the famed stunt man and race-car driver behind the action scenes in both Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which … Continue reading “Racing with ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ Stunt Coordinator Wade Eastwood — and Living to Tell About It”