In an effort to differentiate themselves from the competition and attract customers, retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy and Hollywood Video are increasingly pursuing exclusivity deals with movie studios. Titles such as '
Twilight' have received timed exclusives with retailers Best Buy and Target already having the Blu-ray available earlier this year (it will be available everywhere on May 5th), while others - like the recent Blu-ray release of '
Goldfinger' - receive special Steelbook editions or bonus content specific to the retailer.
This trend is not new, however. As early as
January 2008, Best Buy worked a timed exclusive with Sony Music on the Blu-ray release of '
Justin Timberlake: Live from Madison Square Garden'. Other retailers had to wait until April before being able to sell it.
Indeed, Best Buy has another recent exclusive: in a tie-in with the release of the latest album of Green Day, it is the only retailer to offer the Blu-ray edition of the trio's live title, '
Bullet in a Bible', which streets today.
Amazon is also actively pursuing exclusive deals. Kristin Smith, senior manager of Amazon movies, commented, “We specifically seek out content that is not available anywhere else on Blu-ray, because we want to ensure that our customers who have made the switch to Blu-ray have the best selection of content to choose from, and that Amazon can be the place to discover and buy it.” Thus, on April 21 Amazon had the exclusive for '
Josh Groban: Wide Awake' and '
Michael Bublé: Caught in the Act', two Warner Music Group releases. Similarly, in June 2 Amazon will be the sole retailer to offer two History Channel releases from A&E Home Video, '
Life After People' and '
The Crusades: Crescent & the Cross'.
Some titles are not exclusive, but their contents and editions are. For example, the Ultimate Collector's Edition of '
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music' includes, again only at Amazon an exclusive bonus disc featuring performances by The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Country Joe and the Fish. Back to 'Twilight,' the etailer will try to make up for being cut off from the initial release of the movie by offering an '
Ultimate Collector's Set', which includes trinkets such as a jewelry box, a watch and a charm bracelet.
Other companies are following suit. As of today, Hollywood Video/Movie Gallery has the exclusive for the thriller '
100 Feet', shortly after it aired on the Sci-Fi channel. A wider release on a special edition is expected on a later date.