Rich Fiscus
19 Sep 2007 7:02
Contreversial News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch commented on Paramount's decision to support HD DVD exclusively after previously offering both HD DVD and Blu-ray releases, saying "Paramount switched out the other day. God knows why." However, he followed that by saying he did actually know why, and that it was because Paramount and Dreamworks SKG were paid a total of $150 million.
Entertainment industry executives representing studios backing each format were at the New York investor conference. While Disney CEO Robert Iger said "We haven't taken any money (to choose Blu-ray) because we think it's far and away the best business," Viacom's Philippe Dauman defended Paramount's decision, saying it makes more sense financially to back a single format, and HD DVD's lower priced players were behind the decision. He wouldn't comment on allegations of a payoff from HD DVD backers.
Later in the day Richard Parsons, CEO of Time Warner, explained his company's decision to support both formats by saying "The consumer doesn't care about the format." He says Warner is simply interested in reaching customers, and he doesn't believe it's clear which format will win.
Iger disagrees, saying "The public is going to want Blu-ray. The public can tell the difference."
Sources:
Forbes
Variety