Studios And Theaters Agree To Distribute Movies Through Satellite

First they want to take away our guns, and now our home video collection?! What's the world coming to!

The nation's three largest exhibitors of theatrical entertainment have reached an agreement to partner on a model that delivers films and other content via satellite. The industry is looking to overhaul its production model and are jumping onto the ship with Universal and Warner Bros in a venture called the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition.

Five studios are now involved as Sony and Fox are both in negotiations to join the DCDC.

The DCDC will function through a network of satellites capable of distributing feature, promotional, pre-show and live content (while cooking toast and singing Sinatra) via digital distribution technologies. In short, it's Verizon without the Fios, and its implementation means the end of your home video collection as you know it.

"DCDC's service platform is that state of the art for digital delivery of various kinds of content to theaters in North America," Randolph Blotky, chairman and CEO of Technology Convergence Partners, said in a statement. "Its business model will assure long-term consistent low-cost pricing to content providers and exhibitors across the industry."

The initial rollout is expected to be completed before the end of the year. Deluxe/EchoStar LLC will provide operations support for the DCDC network.

Props: Slash Film