Eurovision DVDs (old) - why no official release?
robertaloud30
Posts: 3,394 Forum Member
✭✭✭
I know there are websites that sell bootleg copies..BUT why don't they release official dvds of past events? (is it copyright/royalties issues?)
and has anyone had experience with any websites that sell dvds? I really want to watch some old 90s contests but all I have our bad vhs to dvd copies
on another note why can't the official dvds from 2005 onwards have optional commentary from a country you could choose from? (e.g. Terry Wogan for UK) and put a disclaimer how the commentaries comments are personal opinions bla bla bla
and has anyone had experience with any websites that sell dvds? I really want to watch some old 90s contests but all I have our bad vhs to dvd copies
on another note why can't the official dvds from 2005 onwards have optional commentary from a country you could choose from? (e.g. Terry Wogan for UK) and put a disclaimer how the commentaries comments are personal opinions bla bla bla
0
Comments
But yes, I think it'll be a safe bet that part of the challenge will be getting the rights to release all the old contests - the idea of selling recordings wouldn't even have been considered back then, so they might not have put any clauses in the contracts to allow it.
The commentaries will probably be off limits though as I'd guess they would be still be owned by the broadcasters. And the act of trying to clear the rights, hunt down and clean up enough different commentaries to make it worthwhile (I'm quite sure most of Europe wouldn't care what Mr Wogan had to say) would push the costs of a project like this up too high - the same would be true with modern contests. I agree it would be nice though.
I wonder what sort of contracts everyone involved would have signed?
They're spending a lot of time and money going through the archives at the moment, so they'll definitely find some way of making that money back - it's way too much effort just to find a few shots for a clip show.
Now it is 2015 is there any news about this?
Only that the material will only be made available to the broadcasters in the short term - which seems a bit of a folly given that there are at least five copies of every previous performance and at least one copy of every old Contest on YouTube.
I'm bracing myself for the inevitable announcement one year soon that there'll be no DVD ...followed not long after by an announcement there'll be no more official CD compilations.
Although I agree and that is fair enough. I would still buy DVDs for the picture quality. I have noticed that some countries (Norway?) have shown some again and have been put on youtube - or at least clips? It seems strange they had someone archiving everything for just giving some random tv stations a chance to show some for a limited time?
even though i have a full set i'd also like to buy an official collection with faultless picture quality, no on screen TV station logos or commentaries but i just can't see how money would be made from it. The market for it will be miniscule even if they sold them in collections by the decade. It's a pity BBC 4 doesn't show one each week for a year to allow people to record them. Other stations have aired old contests.