DRM Strategy

What's your case for or against DRM?

Movie studio

DRM for music doesn't work, but movies are bigger, more difficult to redistribute. DRM restricts the user, makes the paid-for product less valuable. Sell a product at a price the user will pay, offer convenience, quality over the free alternatives.

Television broadcaster

news, sporting events, eyeballs=advertising. DRM is irrelevant, because they're of the moment. But series entertainment, HBO, Lost, want to control content.

Independent filmmaker

Don't want anything getting between the audience and the film. DRM just gets in the way. No audience has asked for DRM, they want convenient, cross-platform viewing. Exposure. Goal is to get studio distribution later. Will DRM-free interfere with that? There are still those who want the theatre experience.

Consumer electronics company

Those of us who play by the rules get punished. It only takes one defector who uses DRM, so we don't really have leverage against the movie studio.

Retailer

For and against. incremental unit sales versus price premium for DRM-free content.