“Steve Jobs’ exit from center stage at Apple Inc is unfolding like a Hollywood drama, complete with a charismatic leading man and compelling plot twists,” Sue Zeidler writes or Reuters. “And Hollywood has a lot riding on Jobs, given his role in shaping digital entertainment and the challenges that lie ahead for the media industry.”
“Jobs, who is taking a six-month medical leave of absence from his CEO job at Apple, is both hailed as a savior and loathed as a monopolistic Goliath in Hollywood,” Zeidler writes.
“As online video technology continues to evolve, analysts believe Hollywood needs to rethink its so-called ‘distribution windows’ — the strict order in which films get to consumers,” Zeidler writes. “Traditionally, films go first to theaters, then hotels and airlines, then DVD vendors, then pay-per-view cable TV, then cable movie channels, and finally broadcast TV.”
Zeidler writes, “A big turning point came last year when iTunes and other online stores reached deals to sell downloads of some films the same day they were released as DVDs. Previously, downloads were sold only when a film reached the later pay-per-view ‘window.'”
Zeidler writes, “Many believe Jobs is the one who can push for change.”
Full article here.
