WHVAmazon.comLaunchDVDDecision2006 [1]
Warner Home Video And Amazon.com Launch DVD Decision™ 2006
(May 30, 2006 - Burbank, CA) – Warner Home Video (WHV) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced DVD Decision™ 2006 – 30 Movies in 30 Days a joint initiative offering movie fans nationwide the opportunity to vote online for the WHV library titles they want released on DVD.
WHV and Amazon.com have jointly nominated 30 films from Warner Bros.’ vast library (the world’s largest) that have never before been seen on DVD. Visitors to the Amazon.com web site will be able to vote for their favorite titles from June 1 through June 30th. At the end of the voting period, the 10 movies with the largest number of votes will be selected as the winners.
On August 8, the two companies will announce the winning titles and make available for pre-order each of the ten winners. Five of the winning titles will make their DVD debut on December 5, 2006. The remaining five will be released on January 2, 2007. All of the films will be re-mastered and will contain added bonus features where available. Each title will sell for $19.97 SRP.
Throughout the month of June, one movie per day will be spotlighted at Amazon.com, with links to its trailer (as available), synopsis, customer feedback and other information. Consumers can vote immediately or anytime throughout the voting period allowing for time to review the trailers and film information throughout the entire promotion.
Voters can access the DVD Decision 2006 voting page at www.amazon.com/dvddecision2006 [2] or via links at Amazon.com’s homepage and in various locations within their DVD store.
"Listening to what consumers want has been one of the major factors driving WHV to its #1 position in home video market share,” said George Feltenstein, senior vice president of theatrical catalog marketing at WHV. “The DVD Decision campaign, started in 2003, was just one way to let the public know we’re giving them the DVD entertainment they want. And we’re also thrilled to be able to hear from the tens of millions of Amazon.com customers who represent the perfect cross section of tastes, attitudes and purchasing patterns for our new initiative.”
“We’re proud to partner with Warner Home Video to introduce on DVD some of the most beloved films of the last 75 years to our Amazon.com customers,” said Laura Porco, Amazon.com's director of merchandising. “From the beginning, Amazon.com’s site truly democratized the online shopping experience and has continued to develop new ways to empower our customers to make more informed purchasing decisions based on their own likes and preferences. DVD Decision 2006 is the perfect extension of our philosophy.”
Titles selected for “DVD Decision™ 2006” are "Al Capone," "Gymkata," "The Hand," "Operation Crossbow," "Up Periscope," "Cimarron," "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing," "Angels in the Outfield," "Blume in Love," "Get to Know Your Rabbit," "Not With My Wife You Don’t," "You’re A Big Boy Now," "April in Paris," "Best Foot Forward," "The Eddie Cantor Story," "Presenting Lilly Mars," "All Fall Down," "The Arrangement," "Band of Angels," "Bhowani Junction," "Carny," "The Illustrated Man," "Looker," "Madame Curie," "Made in Heaven," "Mike’s Murder," "One Trick Pony," "Sphinx," "Sunrise at Campobello" and "There Was a Crooked Man."
The 30 film candidates will be divided into three categories: action/adventure, comedy/musicals and drama. Spanning more than 40 years of Hollywood filmmaking, featured stars include Lucille Ball, Warren Beatty, Ralph Bellamy, Doris Day, Kirk Douglas, Jodie Foster, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Greer Garson, Sidney Poitier, Burt Reynolds, Rod Steiger and a host of other luminaries.
The first two DVD Decisions (2003 & 2004) drew more than a quarter million votes and sold nearly half a million units at the outset of their release.
Marketing Information
With the combined marketing power of WHV and Amazon.com, “DVD Decision™ 2006” will garner millions of consumer impressions. In addition to highly visible placement on Amazon.com, WHV will promote the winning DVD titles from “DVD Decision™ 2006” via a national media campaign that will include entertainment publications such as Entertainment Weekly and People, general interest publications such as Time and New York Times Magazine; film buff publications such as Giant, Film Comment, and Sound & Vision; as well as on-line sites such as, Yahoo and AOL.
About Warner Home Video
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., (Nasdaq: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs, electronics and office, toys and baby, and home and garden.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com [3], www.amazon.co.uk [4], www.amazon.de [5], www.amazon.co.jp [6], www.amazon.fr [7], www.amazon.ca [8], and www.joyo.com [9].
As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward Looking Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, significant amount of indebtedness, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, payments, fraud, consumer trends, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, and all subsequent filings.# # #