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Paramount and Dreamworks Animation Each Declare Exclusive Support for HD DVD
By Shane Sturgeon
Publisher & Chief Technologist
Posted on August 20, 2007
Category: HD DVD & Blu-ray
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Paramount and Dreamworks Animation Each Declare Exclusive Support for HD DVD

Movies Distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment Including Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Animation SKG, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films to be Released Exclusively in HD DVD

Exclusive Program To Begin with Release of "Blades of Glory," Followed by "Transformers" and "Shrek the Third," Films Representing More Than $1.5 Billion in Combined Worldwide Box Office


Los Angeles, CA, August 20, 2007 - Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) and DreamWorks Animation SKG (NYSE:DWA), each announced today that they will exclusively support the next-generation HD DVD format on a worldwide basis. The exclusive HD DVD commitment will include all movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, as well as movies from DreamWorks Animation, which are distributed exclusively by Paramount Home Entertainment.

The companies each said that the decision to distribute exclusively in the HD DVD format resulted from an extensive evaluation of current market offerings, which confirmed the clear benefits of HD DVD, particularly its market-ready technology and lower manufacturing costs. Paramount Home Entertainment will launch its exclusive HD DVD program with the release of the blockbuster comedy hit "Blades of Glory" on August 28th and follow with two of the biggest grossing movies of the year "Transformers" and "Shrek the Third". These three titles alone represent more than $1.5 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide.

"The combination of Paramount and DreamWorks Animation brings a critical mass of current box office hits to consumers with a line-up of live action and animated films that are perfect for HD DVD," stated Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, which is currently the leading studio in domestic box office. "Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theater, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience. I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount."

"We decided to release "Shrek the Third" and other DreamWorks Animation titles exclusively on HD DVD because we believe it is the best format to bring high quality home entertainment to a key segment of our audience - families," stated DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg. "We believe the combination of this year's low- priced HD DVD players and the commitment to release a significant number of hit titles in the fall makes HD DVD the best way to view movies at home."

With the rapid increase of HD TV screens in households, and audiences wanting to enjoy the total entertainment experience, HD DVD has emerged as the most affordable way for consumers to watch their movies in high definition. In addition to pristine quality, HD DVD also offers consumers the chance to personalize the movie-watching experience, to interact with their movies and even to connect with a community of other fans.

Paramount Home Entertainment will issue new releases day and date as well as catalog titles exclusively on HD DVD. Today's announcement does not include films directed by Steven Spielberg as his films are not exclusive to either format.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies and DreamWorks Studios. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studios and Worldwide Television Distribution.


About DreamWorks Animation SKG

DreamWorks Animation is principally devoted to developing and producing computer generated, or CG, animated feature films. With world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced CG filmmaking technology and techniques, DreamWorks Animation makes high quality CG animated films meant for a broad movie-going audience. The Company has theatrically released a total of fourteen animated feature films, including Antz, Shrek, Shrek 2, Shark Tale, Madagascar, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Over the Hedge, Flushed Away, and Shrek the Third. DreamWorks Animation's newest release, Bee Movie, opens in theaters November 2, 2007.


Contact

For Paramount Pictures:
Mary Kincaid
Paramount Home Entertainment
Mary_Kincaid@Paramount.com
323-956-3653

For DreamWorks Animation:
Rich Sullivan
DreamWorks Animation Investor Relations
(818) 695-3900
ir@dreamworksanimation.com

For the HD DVD Promotional Group:
Dane Estes
Weber Shandwick
(425) 452-5486
Dane.Estes@webershandwick.com

Posted by Shane Sturgeon, August 20, 2007 09:43 AM

Reader Commentary

Aug 20, 5:35pm
Does this mean the war is over? I would like to buy one for my 1080p but have been waiting for a clear winner.
Aug 20, 5:57pm
Does this mean the war is over? I would like to buy one for my 1080p but have been waiting for a clear winner. The war is not over. But a major victory today for the HD DVD Camp
Aug 20, 6:55pm
Blu-ray better get their intro player pricing down or they just might lose...
Aug 22, 6:31am
Agree on the price strategy. Also Sony should market how well the PS3 unit upscales current DVD's We watch a movie every night of the week, and are impressed by the noted step improvement in color, clarity. My wife is a believer in Blu Ray as we
Aug 22, 11:24am
Dig a little deeper and you will find that a "promotional payment" of over 100 million bucks was made to Paramount/ Dreamworks before this 'HD announcement' was made. The HD camp bought the Paramount business and exclusive support in the short term. It
Aug 22, 11:50am
And when has anyone ever implied that this wasn't about money? If I was in the HD DVD group, I'd see this as a very good investment to help (if not ensure) my side wins. And let's not pretend that no money has changed hands
Aug 23, 5:30am
Yeah it is all about money, I look at it this way, that's one less Studio that I'll be supporting for the foreseeable future. Did anyone read the press release on Fox's upcoming 28 new titles on Blu-Ray? I know where my holiday spending is going. :
Aug 23, 8:15am
I read the upcoming Fox releases and nothing on that list is very exciting. I already have SPIDEY 1 & 2 in HD. (And the SPIDEY movies will not even have PCM tracks. They will include TrueHD but not all BD players are set-up for that!) I've seen t
Aug 23, 1:52pm
Oops, so sorry, checked my sources about the studio 'payola'. Real number was not 100 million but in actual fact 150 million in 'promotional dollars' to Paramount/DW. For that sort of cash I would endorse VHS cassettes and vinyl LP's as the next big thi
Aug 23, 2:16pm
Doug, have to disagree about better technology winning out. For example, Beta provided superior video than VHS, but VHS was cheaper. (Even now, most professional tape archives still use Beta). I find that it is more about promotion, branding, and pri
Showing only excerpts from 10 out of 14, Read More

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About Shane Sturgeon

Shane Sturgeon is the Co-Publisher and Chief Technologist of HDTV Magazine, an industry publication with HDTV roots going back to 1984, when Dale Cripps founded The HDTV Newsletter. Today, HDTV Magazine is a leading online resource for HDTV news and information and captures the eyes and imaginations of over 3 million visitors annually. Mr. Sturgeon has a background in information technology and has served in various consulting capacities for Fortune 500 companies such as J.P. Morgan Chase, Verizon Communications, Proctor & Gamble and Nationwide Insurance. He has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Wright State University.