Updated: Redstone’s speech is archived in full, here.
This should create some more buzz in the movie industry, coming from a powerhouse like Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom and CBS. He said in a speech in Aspen that Hollywood should take a more flexible approach to pricing as it seeks to combat piracy and protect its intellectual property. He suggested that studios might charge consumers one price for a single viewing of a digitally downloaded film, another for multiple viewings and yet another for the right to burn the film to a DVD, which is not really a groundbreaking suggestion, but it shows how the needle has moved in the last year. Viacom own Paramount Pictures.
Variety: Redstone closed with what he called his digital manifesto: “First, let us all declare that we are digital companies. And don’t sell tools that enable pirates to thrive.” Second, he said, media companies “should all pledge to experiment,” even if piracy threatens the experiment. “We must forge ahead. Third, let us all reiterate our respect for the consumer, and finally, let us press our point of view that the proper role for government is to foster a free market in innovative, creative expression.”
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