The latest News from MANGA & BEEZ Twitter:

[Zin5ki]

The cost of licensing a title decreases with age, the older a title, the cheaper it is to release. It helps if a title has already been released in Europe/Australia, as the PAL masters will already exist.

Aren't the price tags for re-purchasing the rights to older shows notably high? I remember reading that acquiring certain expired licences was too expensive, at least when compared to pursuing newer titles.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

I was under the impression that Bandai have the rights to most their shows (via Bandai visual, their ownership of Sunrise ret large and other factors) out the gate and they just need to go "The time is right" as far as that part is concerned. Sure they have all the other costs but that part is somewhat diminished via that.

 

[Neferpitou]

For the third time you ignore the example set out by R1 Slayer series box sets that has similar style box set to the UK BEEZ Cowboy Bebop Boxset. With slayers box sets being some of the cheapest complete series box sets around it squash the thoughts that those type of box set are incredibly expensive to produce.

No Dave, I don't think those boxes are 'incredibly expensive to produce', I addressed that point in an earlier post. My point was that if the price is £45+ then no amount of cheap tarting up of the releases would make casual buyers buy them:

The RRP will be £45 plus anyway as there no way BEEZ can match MANGA in term in sales when their cheapest complete 26 episode series release is £40.

You're basically advising Beez to spend a little to make a little - why would they bother? A company will only spend more than necessary if they stand to make a lot - that's business.

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They can only afford to release Euerka Seven in this cheaper format because of previous sales from single volumes and box set releases. It good Idea to get the last few pound from a release and hopefully get the casual buyer who walks into a HMV and sees 25 episodes for £25.

Undoubtedly so, but Eureka 7 was a new series. Older series won't sell as well, so if Beez could get the licences for some older series' cheaper then it would make more sense to release them as full sets with a competitive price against the R1. I don't really care if it's feasible or not, my point is that it would be sensible.

But who to say what series will be popular or not. People keep on demaining Lucky Star for over here but they had to cancel the last of the special edtions in the USA becuase of lack sales. While ones of these old and supposedly less poplular shows scrapped princess had no trouble releasing 6 limited edtions which each include a figure.

Just done a search on-line for R1 complete release of the possible future UK Anime Legend title: OUTLAW STAR and with it below customs mark and P&P it work out at £20.42. There no way BEEZ can compete with the USA at that price so the only choice is to make better packaged version.

If that's their 'only choice' then they may as well not bother, don't you agree? It's like admitting they've lost against R1 and the only way they can get people to choose R2 (even fans) is coercion by packaging. Which might work, if it was up to £10 more expensive. Not if it's £20 more expensive. Even the fans would balk at that kind of discrepancy.

We've spent a long time on this now (too long) but I feel I can sum up my POV in more technical terms:

Price of older series (to consumer, regardless of RRP) >£30 = Will sell to casual buyers.
Price of older series (to consumer, regardless of RRP) £30> = Will not sell to casual buyers.

To casual buyers nothing else matters. Not packaging, not extras, just price.

It not going to cost £20 more to release an older title in cowboy remix style box set, it would be 5 pound at most. For few pound more it not worth stick the series in cheap packaging, when BEEZ are alll about the more hardcore audience anyway.

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The cost of licensing a title decreases with age, the older a title, the cheaper it is to release. It helps if a title has already been released in Europe/Australia, as the PAL masters will already exist.

Aren't the price tags for re-purchasing the rights to older shows notably high? I remember reading that acquiring certain expired licences was too expensive, at least when compared to pursuing newer titles.

When a series is first released would be at its highest price but would lower over time but they seem to reach point when they don't get any lower, retain a certain value. As you would think the old guyver 12 part OVA would be good seller for MANGA, but as they said themselves they are demanding too much for the license to make it viable.


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I was under the impression that Bandai have the rights to most their shows (via Bandai visual, their ownership of Sunrise ret large and other factors) out the gate and they just need to go "The time is right" as far as that part is concerned. Sure they have all the other costs but that part is somewhat diminished via that.

Importantly not all title released by Bandai in the west are done by Sunrise, Scrapped Princess, lucky Stars & Gurren Lagann as an for a few examples. But a good point though as you would need negotiation less to release something like Outlaw Star.