Many movies likely skipping DVD release as physical format fades

At the height of the DVD era, you could count on just about any movie or TV show being released on disc. Now as the entertainment industry shifts to streaming video services, many movies are skipping DVD releases.
The “Saved” queue on my Netflix DVD account has 34 movies from 2020 and earlier listed as not available and with no scheduled DVD release.
Ten of those movies are from 2000 and earlier. They’re likely out of print and the copies Netflix had were probably worn out and taken out of circulation. Meanwhile, many of the newer films on my “Saved” list likely won’t get a disc release.
My “Saved” queue only contains movies that Netflix has added to its database. I’m tracking many more that aren’t on DVD in my Reelgood list of “Want-to-see movies.”
And these are only movies that I’m personally interested in seeing. There must be quite a few more that don’t interest me that aren’t on DVD now as well.
The many movies and TV series being made for streaming services probably will never be put out on disc.
This trend can’t bode well for Netflix’s legacy DVD-by-mail service.
In fact, the number of movies in my “Saved” queue (56) now outnumbers those in my queue of movies that are available for rental (52).
Media reports last week indicated that Warner Bros. plans to phase out DVD and Blu-ray releases beginning in 2022. However, others have disputed those reports. (See article by Movieweb and related commentary.)
High-profile movies likely will continue to get disc releases, but others will probably be streaming only.

Netflix DVD business is barely a footnote to streaming video giant now

Netflix started in 1997 as a U.S.-only DVD-by-mail business. But now that the company is a global streaming video giant, its legacy DVD business barely merits a footnote in its financial reports.
In its latest quarterly report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Netflix said its DVD revenue fell 23% year over year to $50 million in the first quarter. Meanwhile, its streaming video revenue rose 25% to $7.11 billion. Netflix’s DVD business made up just 0.7% of Netflix revenue in the first quarter.
In its SEC filing, Netflix made only a couple of references to its DVD business in the text. “Additionally, we continue to offer our DVD-by-mail service in the United States,” it said at one point in the 49-page 10-Q report.
I love the Netflix DVD business because of its great movie selection. If it’s available on disc, Netflix likely has it for rental. But there’s no denying that the world is shifting to streaming video.
In the same way that AT&T no longer sells telegraphs, the Netflix DVD business will eventually be retired.
That will be a sad day for movie fans.
Netflix DVD plans start at $7.99 a month for one disc out at a time and $11.99 a month for two discs out at a time. The plans for Blu-ray Discs are $9.99 for one disc out at a time and $14.99 for two discs out at a time.
Enjoy it while it lasts.

Photo: “Tenet” on Netflix DVD.

Why are there no porn parodies yet of President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris?

The pornography industry loves to parody politicians in its X-rated movies.
For instance, as a political candidate and U.S. president, Donald Trump, was the subject of at least 14 porn parodies. His wife, First Lady Melania, and daughter/political adviser, Ivanka, also were mocked in porn parodies.
President Barrack Obama was the subject of seven porn parodies. The adult film industry also has mocked George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin and more.
Political satires and parodies, even X-rated ones, are protected under the free speech provisions of the First Amendment.
But so far, Trump’s successor, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris have yet to be lampooned in porn movies.
It’s not for a lack of material. You have “creepy Joe” who’s been known to grope women. Now he’s handing out “stimulus” checks willy-nilly to spur the economy. Then there’s Kamala Harris with her naked political ambitions.
The adult film industry recently discussed the lack of Biden or Harris porn parodies on Xbiz.net.
Some suggested that the industry fears the Biden administration. For instance, adult film actress Cherie DeVille wrote an article for the Daily Beast noting how Harris is anti-sex work. And Harris could be president someday soon.
Others said the left-leaning porn industry is a fan of Biden and doesn’t want to mock him.
At least one person noted that Biden has only been in office three months and production in the porn industry has been choked by the Covid-19 pandemic. In other words, such parodies likely will happen eventually.
Some industry players suggested porn actors who could play Biden, Harris and other characters.
They picked Misty Stone for Kamala Harris, one-time Trump mistress Stormy Daniels as First Lady Jill Biden and one of the geriatric porn actors from the Blue Pill Men as Joe Biden.

Related resource:

Porn movies based on real-life events or public figures

Photo: Adult film actress Misty Stone.

Journalists are getting buried by irrelevant news pitches

As a journalist, I spend a good portion of each day deleting email pitches from public relations workers trying to interest me in their products or companies. The problem with many pitches is that they don’t fit my coverage area and are irrelevant to me.
I don’t cover cryptocurrency, health care and other fields, but I still get a lot of pitches in those areas. These PR workers are essentially spamming as many journalists as possible hoping to get lucky.
Public relations professionals outnumber journalists six to one in the U.S. You would hope that they would “do their homework” and make sure that their pitch are appropriate for certain writers or publications. But many don’t.
On April 15, PR software firm Cision released its 2021 Global State of the Media report, which highlighted the problem.
The 12th annual report surveyed more than 2,700 journalists in 15 countries from Feb. 1 to March 1.
“Journalists are inundated with spam,” the report said. “Fifty-three percent of journalists receive more than 50 pitches a week, and 28% receive more than 100 per week. Yet the vast majority of journalists (69%) say only a quarter (or less) of the pitches they receive are relevant to their audiences.”
Public relations workers need to build highly targeted media lists, Cision suggested. They also need to better understand the needs of specific journalists and their publications, the report said.
I concur.

Photo: Graphic from Cision’s 2021 Global State of the Media report.

Return of live events post Covid crisis still in question

Since the Covid-19 pandemic shut down public gatherings for live events such as concerts and sports in March 2020, the question everyone has been asking is when things will return to normal.
The time frame for the reopening of the economy in the U.S. keeps getting pushed back. It had been expected this summer but now it looks like this fall, given the slow rollout of vaccines.
Looking at concert venues in Northern Virginia and D.C., the earliest live performances are planned for late July and August for now.
The Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Va., canceled its 2020 summer performance season. And this year’s season looks to start in August with concerts by Goo Goo Dolls, Train, John Legend, Pitbull and others. Shows scheduled for this June and July at the venue already have been postponed or canceled.
Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., is hosting NBA basketball and NHL hockey games at limited capacity. The number of fans allowed to attend Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals games has been capped at 10% of capacity, or 2,100 fans per game. (See news release.)
As for concerts, the earliest scheduled performance is Justin Bieber on July 28 and Nickelodeon’s JoJo Siwa on July 31. Capital One Arena has no concerts planned for August. Harry Styles and Celine Dion have separate concerts scheduled for late September at the arena.
The outdoor venue Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, hopes to begin welcoming back music fans in July. It has a host of rescheduled concerts scheduled for that month including the Black Crowes, Megadeth, Backstreet Boys, Matchbox Twenty and the Doobie Brothers.
Elsewhere in the music world, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival were canceled for the second straight year because of Covid. They had been scheduled for this month.
Gatherings related to popular culture genres also have been impacted by the health crisis.
San Diego Comic-Con and Anime Expo both have canceled their in-person conferences for the second straight year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The events had been scheduled for July. (See article by the Verge.)
Meanwhile, VidCon plans to return with an in-person gathering this fall. The annual conference devoted to online video creators is set for Oct. 21-24 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Organizers canceled last year’s in-person show because of the Covid-19 pandemic. (See article by the Hollywood Reporter.)
All I can say is, good luck.

Related articles:

How the conference industry sees the reopening of the economy post-Covid (Tech-media-tainment; April 14, 2021)

Love Comic-Con or E3? It may take a while for huge crowds to return to conventions (Los Angeles Times; April 8, 2021)

Photo: The Filene Center at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. (Wolf Trap)

How the conference industry sees the reopening of the economy post-Covid

The conference industry took a major hit when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down in-person business gatherings beginning in early 2020. Now a year-plus later, the industry is struggling to get back to normal.
Some conferences are still planning virtual shows for this year while others are gambling on a comeback for in-person meetings.
Physical shows are problematic because of the slow rollout of Covid-19 vaccines as well as corporate restrictions on business travel still in place. State and city government restrictions on gatherings also are a roadblock.

National Restaurant Association Show canceled

Organizers of the National Restaurant Association Show were forced to cancel the event for the second straight year because of limits on gatherings of more than 50 people in the state of Illinois. The in-person event had been scheduled for May 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. (See article by Restaurant Business and Feb. 26 press release.)

Sweets & Snacks Expo holding physical show

Indianapolis apparently has less restrictive requirements for business events amid the Covid-19 pandemic than Chicago. Two conferences I’ve attended in the past are planning in-person events in Indianapolis this summer and fall.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo has scheduled its latest show for June 23-25 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. The event, sponsored by the National Confectioners Association, is for confectionery and snack retailers, manufacturers and suppliers. The show is moving from Chicago for the first time in its history this year. The 2020 show was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

CEDIA Expo planning in-person show

CEDIA Expo will hold this year’s conference Sept. 1-3 at the Indiana Convention Center. CEDIA Expo is for installers of high-end residential technology, including home theaters and smart home devices. Organizers canceled last year’s show in Denver because of Covid-19 concerns. It offered a virtual show instead.

E3 switches to virtual show

On April 6, the Entertainment Software Association unveiled plans for an all-virtual E3 2021 to be held June 12-15. Last year’s annual video game industry conference in Los Angeles was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic and was not replaced with a virtual show.
Nintendo, Microsoft Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive Software and Warner Bros. Games are among the companies that have committed to participate in E3 2021. (See press release.)

GDC schedules online show

Meanwhile, the Game Developers Conference will again take place online this year. The week-long education- and business-focused event is set to run July 19-23. GDC was online in 2020 as well. (See article by the Hollywood Reporter.)

Google, Microsoft, Apple events staying virtual

The annual Google I/O conference for developers will be held online this year. It will run May 18-20. The 2020 show set for Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Calif., was canceled because of public health concerns.
Microsoft's annual developers conference, Build, will be a virtual event again this year because of the pandemic. Microsoft Build will run May 25-27.
Apple is holding its annual Worldwide Developers Conference as an online conference for the second straight year. It is set for June 7-11.

Hybrid tech events scheduled

Organizers of MWC Barcelona, formerly known as Mobile World Congress, are pressing ahead with an in-person event in Spain on June 28 through July 1. MWC Barcelona will be a hybrid event with an online component for those who are unable to attend in person. (See article by Fierce Wireless.)
Semi, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, is planning a hybrid event for its Semicon Southeast Asia conference, scheduled for Aug. 23-27. An on-site conference will be held in Singapore at a venue to be announced soon, Semi said in a March 23 press release.

Related articles:

CES bargain: This year’s show is half off (Jan. 27, 2021)

Conference industry not coming back soon as Covid-19 pandemic lingers (Jan. 23, 2021)

E3 2021: Will there be a video game conference this year? (Jan. 20, 2021)

CES 2021 final thoughts: Virtual show comes up short (Jan. 18, 2021)