Is there anything the Weinstein Company can’t do? The banner from producer brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein is branching out into the world of Video On Demand. Tuesday an an official announcement from the studio confirmed that their films will now be available through a new (yet unnamed) service.
We’re not sure if this a good idea for other VOD retailers but we do know it will give subscribers a straight shot at more content. Find out the specifics of the new service below.
Here’s the official press release via The Weinstein Company:
The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that Tom Quinn and Jason Janego have joined forces with TWC Co-Chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein to create a new TWC label to bring new films and other specialty entertainment to audiences simultaneously across multiple digital and traditional platforms. Quinn and Janego will serve as Co-Presidents of the yet-to-be named label, which will be based in New York. The announcement was made by TWC COO David Glasser.
Quinn and Janego were among the first in the film industry to explore the potential of emerging digital platforms and were in the vanguard of developing new strategies for alternative distribution during their tenures at Magnolia Pictures, where they were Senior Vice President and Head of Legal & Business Affairs, respectively. In 2005, Magnolia became one of the first distributors to implement the day/date releasing, premiering Steven Soderbergh’s BUBBLE and Alex Gibney’s ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM simultaneously in select theaters and on DVD. Over the next several years they expanded on the premium VOD/theatrical platform model with such films as James Gray’s TWO LOVERS, Neil Marshall’s CENTURION, Takashi Miike’s 13 ASSASSINS, Alex Gibney’s CLIENT 9 and FREAKONOMICS, the documentary based on the bestseller, enabling these specialty and independent releases to compete alongside studio content.
The new label makes TWC the first studio to premiere select titles across multiple platforms via immediate-access digital and traditional media and will bring TWC’s unique, high-quality films to larger audiences than ever before. As Co-Presidents, Quinn and Janego will develop content and distribution strategies that move beyond the on-demand model, with a goal of establishing the new label as a marquee destination. Quinn and Janego will oversee acquisitions, productions and distribution of label content. Both will report to Harvey and Bob Weinstein and David Glasser in New York.
Quinn and Janego will be on-site at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival to begin scouting titles for the fledgling label. It is anticipated that the label will release its debut title in the first half of 2012.
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