Rampant piracy pushes last Hollywood DVD firm away

Warner Brothers, one of the world’s largest producers of film and television entertainment, is to end its home video business in Korea, citing rampant piracy, officials said on yesterday.

“As of Dec. 31 this year, the home video and DVD business in Korea will be shut down,” said an official at Warner Brothers Home Video Korea.

“One of the reasons for the pullout is a slump in the video and DVD market, resulting from online piracy and illegal downloading.”

Warner Brothers is the last remaining Hollywood company to withdraw its home entertainment business from Korea. “We are to focus on our digital distribution ‘pre-DVD’ business,” the official said.

In October, Warner Brothers studios announced plans to become the first in Hollywood to make movies available through video on demand in Korea two weeks before DVD releases. More than 94 percent of households in Korea are reported to have broadband connections.

According to the Korean Film Council, more than 47 percent of people surveyed said they download movies at least once a year. Yonhap