A prime company for this is Network. What point does this serve?
DVD deletions
Network are only really notable because of the sheer volume of stuff they release. All companies do it. Simple fact is that it costs money to keep producing stuff, they take up shelf space in the shops, and licences to distribute the shows can be very expensive. If they've released it and it's flopped (i.e. low sales), why would they renew the licence and keep on producing something that no one wants to buy?
2point4 Children is a prime example.
Film wise This Boy's Life is deleted but it's a bit of a cult film now and I don't get why it's not out anymore 
Quote: David Carmon @ February 18 2010, 3:55 PM GMT2point4 Children is a prime example.
Film wise This Boy's Life is deleted but it's a bit of a cult film now and I don't get why it's not out anymore
Just the point I was aiming at. I think it's the 'earlier era' of putting series onto DVD that are more often than not the ones that are deleted. (When I say earlier era I'm thinking 2000 to 2005, when these companies seemed to be dipping their toe in the water.) Because the market was not so tried and tested back then, few people were aware that whole series were being made available, therefore they don't make as much money, so then they're deleted and they seem to miss their window of opportunity. Now that the release of complete series become wholly successful some series have seemed to have fallen into a no-mans-land. The reason I say this is that I've been toying with buying 'Till Death...' series from '72 and '74. As several 'Sickness...' have been released I was wondering if it would now just be a matter of time for them to re-appear, so too with 2.4?
That's why I havent bought The Upper Hand yet in case they get a few series in and stop. Think I'll wait for the Box Set (If it comes)
I'm hoping for 2.4 to get a full release at some point (prob 2067)
Films often get deleted so that artificial demand is created, then they release it again with lots of new extras and get to charge a higher than average price. They did this quite recently with Trainspotting.
Yes, that is often the case with films. Disney in particular are known for it.
As for Till Death Us Do Part (and indeed Sykes) deals with the BBC are a whole other ball game. I suspect that Network have a blanket deal with the few ITV archive owners, so I can't imagine that The Upper Hand will stop David, but BBC shows are mind-bendingly expensive at every level. Those two shows in particular were also REALLY badly marketed. There was more than enough reasoning for them to be able to call the Sykes release 'The Complete First Series', but they went with 'The First Colour Series'! Similarly with Till Death Us Do Part, putting series numbers on would have been so, so much better.
I might start getting The Upper Hand then, but if it does stop after 5 series I'll personally murder the person responsible with a snapped up DVD. 
I'm still waiting for them to release the 6th series of Ballykissangel after series 5 came out years ago. Idiots.
2point4 was so badly marketed that I only found series 2&3 by mistake in WH Smiths at the bottom of a dusty shelf