Full Article Text
Don't blink. It's
already on disc
By MICHAEL GILTZ
PARIS Hilton knows
about instant gratifica
tion. So it's only fitting
that she and Nicole Richie
will barely have had time
to unpack their bags be
fore "The Simple Life"
TV show comes to DVD
on Jan. 20.
"It's the fastest release
ever!" laughed one Fox
Home Entertainment ex
ecutive. "It's coming out
on DVD just days after the
final episode airs."
The reasoning is simple:
Ifl5 million people watch
the season finale of the hit
reality series, why wait
one year or even six
months to put it out on
Dvm The show will be in -danger of looking like yes
terday's news (reality
shows have a half life of
about 10 minutes), and
you'll just have
to spend money
reminding peo
ple about the
show all over
again.
"The Simple
Life" is the most
dramatic exam
ple of a growing
trend for TV
shows and mov
ies. Studios eager
to take advantage
of the millions they
spend promoting
shows and movies
-not to mention
dipping into the
DVD pot of gold
right away -are re
leasing the sets
faster and faster.
Season one of" Alias"
came out just before sea
son two debuted on ABC,
and season two of "24"
came out just before sea
son three began on Fox.
This lets hardcore fans
start collecting and gives
casual viewers a chance to
catch up (especially im
portant on serialized
shows like "24," which ex
plains why they are lead
ing the DVD pack, instead
of stand-alone stalwarts
like "Law & Order").
This desire for instant
pleasure has been building
for awhile. Baseball fans
get barraged with ads
urging them to buy the
World Series commemo
rative DVD before the
final out has been scored.
Some TV miniseries air
ads for the DVD and
soundtrack before viewers
find out how the story
ends. And PBS was selling
Ken Burns' epic "Jazz"
even before the show had
debuted. Series head to DVD faster to cash in on
popularity. Some recent releases:
"The Shield"
Second season ended:
April 1,2003
DVD release date:
Jan.6,2004
"The Simple
Life"
Season ends:
January 14,2004
OVO release date:
Jan. 20,2004
"24"
Second season ended:
May 20,2003
DVD release date:
Sept 9, 2003 "MTV'
Punk'd"
First season ended:
May 5,2003
.OVO release date:
Jan. 20,2004
"Alias"
Second season ended;
May 4,2003
already on disc
By MICHAEL GILTZ
PARIS Hilton knows
about instant gratifica
tion. So it's only fitting
that she and Nicole Richie
will barely have had time
to unpack their bags be
fore "The Simple Life"
TV show comes to DVD
on Jan. 20.
"It's the fastest release
ever!" laughed one Fox
Home Entertainment ex
ecutive. "It's coming out
on DVD just days after the
final episode airs."
The reasoning is simple:
Ifl5 million people watch
the season finale of the hit
reality series, why wait
one year or even six
months to put it out on
Dvm The show will be in -danger of looking like yes
terday's news (reality
shows have a half life of
about 10 minutes), and
you'll just have
to spend money
reminding peo
ple about the
show all over
again.
"The Simple
Life" is the most
dramatic exam
ple of a growing
trend for TV
shows and mov
ies. Studios eager
to take advantage
of the millions they
spend promoting
shows and movies
-not to mention
dipping into the
DVD pot of gold
right away -are re
leasing the sets
faster and faster.
Season one of" Alias"
came out just before sea
son two debuted on ABC,
and season two of "24"
came out just before sea
son three began on Fox.
This lets hardcore fans
start collecting and gives
casual viewers a chance to
catch up (especially im
portant on serialized
shows like "24," which ex
plains why they are lead
ing the DVD pack, instead
of stand-alone stalwarts
like "Law & Order").
This desire for instant
pleasure has been building
for awhile. Baseball fans
get barraged with ads
urging them to buy the
World Series commemo
rative DVD before the
final out has been scored.
Some TV miniseries air
ads for the DVD and
soundtrack before viewers
find out how the story
ends. And PBS was selling
Ken Burns' epic "Jazz"
even before the show had
debuted. Series head to DVD faster to cash in on
popularity. Some recent releases:
"The Shield"
Second season ended:
April 1,2003
DVD release date:
Jan.6,2004
"The Simple
Life"
Season ends:
January 14,2004
OVO release date:
Jan. 20,2004
"24"
Second season ended:
May 20,2003
DVD release date:
Sept 9, 2003 "MTV'
Punk'd"
First season ended:
May 5,2003
.OVO release date:
Jan. 20,2004
"Alias"
Second season ended;
May 4,2003