Article: Rev-Share Still Lives

Rentrak's Graham doesn't see studios budging much on selloff restrictions, since they don't want to risk cannibalizing their new sellthrough.

On the studio side, sources say three of the six majors — Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment — have opted not to enter into any long-term deals with the chains.

All the major studios have PPT deals with Rentrak, with variations. Most offer output deals for DVD and videocassettes, with Buena Vista's and Universal's PPT involvement limited to VHS. Upfront fees ranging from nothing to $1.50 (Universal and Buena Vista charge $3.75 and $6.75 for VHS). On average, retailers then keep 60 percent of the rental proceeds, and all but $1.25 to $3.80 of the selloff take.

Last March, Warner Home Video tweaked its revenue-sharing program to include a back-end minimum guarantee back to the studio.

Rentrak also has deals with a variety of smaller suppliers, including Wellspring, Ardustry and MTI. PPT programs also are available for some video games, with upfront fees averaging $8.50 to $12.50 and participating retailers getting 54 percent of the rental proceeds.

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