Warner Bros. Shutters Korean DVD Operation

LOS ANGELES, November 12: In the heavily broadband-penetrated South Korean
market, Warner Bros. is shuttering its DVD marketing and distribution
operation, with plans to shift that business to a local licensee.

The
move comes about six weeks after Warner Bros. announced a deal to make select
new theatrical releases available to Korean VOD platforms two weeks prior to
the DVD rollout. It is an effort on the part of the studio to avoid the rampant
Internet piracy in this technologically sophisticated market.

The closure of the local DVD operation is expected within a few
weeks, according to published reports, with a local company set to pick up the
rights to distribute the studio's titles. This is a model being used by other
Hollywood studios in Korea.

—By Mansha Daswani