The PS2 version of Madden NFL 06 from Electronic Arts (EA) was again the top-rented videogame in the U.S., according to Rentrak’s preliminary data for the week ended Sept. 18. Rentrak said the SKU earned an additional $330,000 in its 6th week, for a total of $2.07 million in rentals. The Xbox version was #2 again, earning an additional $190,000 for $1.30 million to date. EA’s NCAA Football 06 for PS2 was again #3, in its 10th week, earning $180,000 ($2.17 million to date). The only new SKUs in the top 10 were EA’s Burnout Revenge for PS2 at #6 ($140,000) and Xbox at #10 ($120,000). EA had one other title in the top 10: NASCAR 06: Total Team Control for PS2 at #9, down 4 in its 3rd week ($120,000 in the week, $320,000 to date). The only other publisher with more than one SKU in the top 10 was Ubisoft, with 2: The Xbox and PS2 versions of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Lockdown at #4 ($140,000 in the week, $240,000 to date) and #8 ($120,000 in the week, $170,000 to date), up 7 and 29, respectively, in the title’s 2nd week. Rounding out the top 10 were PS2 SKUs The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction at #6 again in its 4th week ($140,000 and $520,000 to date) and Take-Two Interactive’s Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition at #7, down 3 in its 23rd week ($130,000 and $6.63 million).
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its preliminary results of the following antidumping (AD) duty administrative reviews:
As controversial Corp. for Public Bcstg. Chmn. Kenneth Tomlinson steps down at the board meeting Sept. 26, the corporation is coming under pressure from media groups to make its operations and programming decision- making process more transparent. Free Press, Common Cause and Center for Digital Democracy started an ad campaign this week to draw attention to CPB board meetings being “largely off limits to the press and the public” and calling for more “transparency and accountability.”
Movie Gallery said Tues. most of its stores in the Gulf region had “resumed normal operations and are performing in-line with Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video stores across North America.” The company said it believes the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina “will not be material to its short-term revenues nor affect its long-term financial condition.” The company runs 328 stores in Ala., La. and Miss. under the Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video names, but it said “the vast majority of these stores are located outside of the areas affected by” the hurricane. Movie Gallery said it resumed operations at 12 of the 21 stores closed due to power outages and other storm damage. But it said about 3 stores were “operating under a dusk to dawn curfew and 6 stores remain closed.” It said “the exact amount of damage to these stores is still unclear as some stores are located in restricted areas.” Regardless, it said, “all of these stores represent less than half of one percent of Movie Gallery’s 4,800 stores across North America.” The company this month released preliminary 3rd and 4th quarter same- store sales estimates weaker than analysts had expected, saying it expects Q3 comparable store sales to decline 8- 10% from a year ago as “the current slump” in theatrical box office revenue continues” (CED Sept 19 p9). Separately, rival Blockbuster didn’t respond right away to a request for comment about a Wall Street Journal report in which CEO John Antioco characterized the rental business as “in the tank.” The report also quoted him as saying that although he doesn’t expect his company to default on payments due to Hollywood movie studios, those studios “have a legitimate reason to be concerned about the entire video business.” Blockbuster shares fell after the report came out. In late afternoon trading Tues., shares were down 5.63% at $4.36.
Movie Gallery last week released preliminary 3rd and 4th quarter same-store sales estimates weaker than analysts had expected. The company, which recently acquired Hollywood Entertainment, said it expects Q3 comparable store sales to decline 8-10% from a year ago as “the current slump” in theatrical box office revenue continues to affect “the entire home video industry.” Movie Gallery said it “continues to expect that the 4th quarter of 2005 will improve on a sequential basis, as some of the year’s biggest titles and likely best sellers are due for video release.” Upcoming major home video releases include Star Wars: Episode 3 -- Revenge of the Sith. But Movie Gallery said “the cumulative weakness of releases in the 2nd and 3rd quarters is expected to impact the 4th quarter results.” As a result, it expects to report comparable store revenue flat to down 6% from a year ago. The company might also see a slowdown in its videogame sales after closing 50 Game Crazy locations in June. The company, however, didn’t change its earnings estimate for the year. Movie Gallery also said it was “realizing synergies” from the Hollywood Entertainment acquisition that “exceeded [its] expectations.” The company said it expects to save about $20 million this year and up to about $50 million before 2008 from the purchase, “largely from the optimization of its new sellthrough inventory and the consolidation of its real estate and construction, distribution and executive management functions as well as other G&A [general & administrative] expense reduction opportunities.”
The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has posted to its Web site the following five monthly reports containing official July 2005 trade data from the Department of Census for imports and exports of textiles and apparel:
A measure targeting “home pornographers” whose work often gets Internet distribution was adopted last week by the House as part of a bill fine-tuning U.S. sex offender registration rules. The adult entertainment industry called the amendment a blatant attempt to “exert control over the sexual practices of American citizens under the guise of protecting children.” Civil rights groups said the move ignores the First Amendment.
The U.S. Appeals Court, Atlanta, Thurs. backed BellSouth, saying the firm didn’t have to accept orders for UNE-P during a change-of-law negotiation process. The case dates to Feb. 2005, when the FCC in its Triennial Review Remand Order (TRRO) relieved ILECs, effective March 11, of the obligation to provide CLECs with unbundled access to mass market local switching and provided more limited relief from unbundling for loops and transport. Later that month, BellSouth told CLECs that, as of the March 11 TRRO effective date, it wouldn’t accept new orders for UNE-P, loops and transport. MCImetro Access Transmission Services, and later other CLECs, filed an emergency motion with the Ga. PSC, claiming BellSouth was required to continue serving the embedded base and accept new UNE-P orders as long as the change-of-law negotiating process was ongoing. The PSC granted the motions, but BellSouth sued the CLECs and the PSC in federal court, seeking a preliminary injunction. The district court granted the injunction, saying “BellSouth had established a substantial likelihood of success on the merits.” According to the 11th Circuit, “the district court concluded that, because the TRRO was immediately effective, there was nothing to negotiate regarding the determination of the FCC that unbundling was no longer permitted for local switching and, in limited circumstances, for loops and transport facilities. The district court reasoned that to allow CLECs to add new UNE-P customers would be inconsistent with the plain language of the TRRO.” The 11th Circuit agreed.
SAN JOSE -- MCI sees the future in wireless VoIP while hoping and believing its expensive circuit switches will retain value for some time, said MCI Strategy & Business Development Senior Vp Jack Dziak. Sounding a lot less like a Bellhead than a techie with a legacy network, he told the wVoIP conference here Wed. the company’s preliminary calculations show a customer’s 2-year total cost including hardware for wireless IP voice and data services at home, at the office and around town runs barely 1/5 the cost using “best-of-breed” wired and cellular technologies such as DSL and 3G -- $1,650 to $7,570. And the advantage should only rise as “the costs continue to decline” on the Wi-Fi and WiMAX side, Dziak said.