Reasons for DVD release hold-ups

There seems to be a stock set of reasons why DVD releases are held up, but we haven't made a list of these yet, so I have decided to start one.

Clearance issues: This often means music used in a show will cost a lot of money for the DVD producers to use again as the music is only bought for the initial run of the show and maybe repeats. A point in case; the last episode of 'Citizen Smith' used the Beatles' 'Here Comes the Sun' extensively, so it it was more cost effective to substitute the soundtrack for another piece.

Expensive negotiations: Cue Aaron on this one, as he will be able to explain this one better. What it sounds like is that it sometimes costs a lot of money to even talk about a show with the BBC.

Artiste's discretion: Quite simply, a star of the show doesn't want it released on DVD. Martin Shaw blocked the release of 'The Professionals' for a while. This is the reason why 'Rentaghost' stalled at the first series; one of the artistes didn't want the rest to appear on DVD.

Cost Effective: Similar to clearance issues, but this time it didn't do make much when the first couple of series were released, therefore the production company will deem it to be not worth the money to continue releasing the series. I think '2.4' and 'BoaF' fall into this catagory.

Forgotten: It could simply be that it's been forgotten and it wouldn't even have been thought of for release.

I think this pretty much covers it?

I think 2point4 Children falls into most of them. 2Entertain said that there was a particular issue with an episode of series 7 (though they didn't specify what it was).

Also the cost of clearance in general was too high so they say. That and poor sales of Series 1-3.

Birds Of A Feather is a bigger mystery. For a start Series 1 wasn't exactly high profile and was a budget (mid price) release with bad packaging. Also it looked as though it hadn't been touched prior to being put on DVD. I know it's old but the picture and sound quality were very poor.

If they gave it a proper chance it could sell well.

An extension of cost effective; small sales expectations. Unless you have a bulk-deal for archive access (as I suspect Network do), you're not going to release something that didn't even manage a particular audience when it was originally broadcast.

Rights issues. Particularly after the death of a star, I'm sure it can prove troublesome to trace, identify, and obtain clearance from next of kin. Plus who to pay. (E.g. the massive delays of Are You Being Served? after John Inman's death.)

Quote: The Rook @ November 30 2009, 8:20 AM GMT

There seems to be a stock set of reasons why DVD releases are held up, but we haven't made a list of these yet, so I have decided to start one.

Artiste's discretion: Quite simply, a star of the show doesn't want it released on DVD. Martin Shaw blocked the release of 'The Professionals' for a while.

View original

Yeah, a VERY LONG while, about two decades I think. Quite honestly, by the time it came back on, the market for it had all but vanished - it needed to be on in the 80s when we still had only four channels and people were desparate for more exciting progs. Well it's on again now anyway, and you have to wonder what Shaw was on about - excessive violence??? It looks so tame now it really does. Shaw is a fine actor but a pompous prick in real life, fancy stopping your ex colleagues getting a much needed pay cheque because of a quaint little notion like that!! Idiot! And he was asked continually over several years when there was still a good market for it - when The Professionals first aired, it got staggering viewing figures, even for those glory days of TV. I heard at one point, probably a press made rumour, that Lewis Collins was going to send his World Champion boxing pal (forget his name) round to make him change his mind. No actor or writer should be allowed to do that - you're in the game in the first place to get as much air time as poss - it is just ludicrous that some sensitive luvvy types get all prickly about something and decide to stop everyone else from getting their dues!! Insane. And Shaw was alright, he had plenty of work on the go, unlike Collins. I've never liked the bloke since and refuse to watch the identikit dramas he's in.

Quote: The Rook @ November 30 2009, 8:20 AM GMT

Clearance issues: This often means music used in a show will cost a lot of money for the DVD producers to use again as the music is only bought for the initial run of the show and maybe repeats. A point in case; the last episode of 'Citizen Smith' used the Beatles' 'Here Comes the Sun' extensively, so it it was more cost effective to substitute the soundtrack for another piece.

View original

On the Doctor Who Restoration Team's website, the sound technician expert/composer Mark Ayres writes, about Remembrance of the Daleks: One other nettle which had to be grasped where this story is concerned was the tricky issue of the source music used in two scenes in the cafe, both by The Beatles. In part one, "Do You Wanna Know a Secret" was heard, while in part three we had "A Taste of Honey". When this story was first released on DVD, neither of these tracks could be cleared for release so were replaced with library tracks. For this new release, however, we understand that new "blanket licensing" deals in the UK mean that the tracks can now be included, so the episodes were remastered as transmitted. Unfortunately, the same does not hold true for territories other than the UK, so I have also produced "international masters" of episodes one and three, making the following substitutions...

Anyone know about these "new blanket licensing deals"? Do they mean The Goodies might end up being released in full?

The Goodies lack of release has very little to do with music rights. The licensing deals are as they sound. One area in which the music industry isn't totally mental and contrary to common sense and good business.