New footage for dvds makes sales for reality tv show

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After years of snubbing reality TV, DVD suppliers are taking a second look at the category with a flurry of bonus-packed releases.

"We used to always use the phrase, 'The genie's already out of the bottle,"' CBS Consumer Products vp and general manager Ken Ross said of the general feeling that reality TV would be a hard sell on DVD because the outcome is already known.

That's why CBS scrapped its series of "Survivor" compilation DVDs after just two releases in 2000 and '01. But a year ago, a complete first-season set with gobs of extras sold so well that CBS has since released two more: "Survivor Season 2: The Australian Outback" and "Survivor All-Stars: The Complete Season."

"The past few years have seen a major shift toward reality-based shows on TV, so it's no surprise we're seeing more of the genre released on DVD," said Gord Lacey, who operates the Web site, http://www.tvshowsondvd.com. "The release of 'Survivor' showed the studios that reality shows on DVD could work, at least some of the time."

Indeed, so many reality TV-DVD releases are coming to market that Amazon.com maintains a separate "Reality Shows" department in its recently opened "TV Central" cyber store. The site lists more than two dozen shows, with complete season sets of MTV's "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica" topping the best-sellers list.

CBS' Ross said it is vital that the DVDs include "compelling footage" that has not been seen before.

"We go to great lengths and expense to provide not only extra footage and commentaries and insights but also special things a fan of the show will want to see and own."

Ross said CBS is preparing a fourth "Survivor" season set for a first-quarter 2006 release, jumping ahead to Season 7. "It's because of the significantly higher ratings, the way the game played out and the likability of (contestant) Rupert and some of the other castaways," Ross said. "Ratings are a critical factor in deciding what to release, but so is the size and the intensity of the fan base."

Ross and his team spend a lot of time trolling the Web to see how the various reality TV shows measure up in such areas as number of fan sites and comments on discussion boards.

"We're very in touch with our viewers," he said.

Internet buzz, Ross said, was a key factor behind CBS' decision to release the complete first season of "The Amazing Race" on DVD on September 27, followed by Season 7 right before Christmas

"We're leading off with the first season because that's the one that started it all, and not that many viewers had come aboard and watched that first race," Ross said. "Since then, viewership has exploded, and the show has won numerous Emmy Awards."

Season 7 was tapped as the second release in the series, Ross said, because it scored higher in the ratings than any of its predecessors thanks in large part to the popularity of contestants Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich, both alumni of "Survivor."

Not all DVD marketers share Ross' enthusiasm. Universal Studios Home Entertainment tested the reality TV-DVD waters last year with the first season of NBC's "The Apprentice" but has no plans to releasing subsequent seasons. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released two seasons of Fox's "The Simple Life" last year to strong sales, but has yet to schedule any more reality TV shows for DVD release.

One of the biggest players in the reality TV-DVD arena is A&E Home Video, which has released on DVD such A&E Television reality shows as "Growing Up Gotti," "Airline" and "Dog the Bounty Hunter." Next up: "Criss Angel Mindfreak," which debuted on TV in July and is headed to DVD in October.

Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment also is keen on reality TV on DVD, having scored well with the first few seasons of MTV's "The Osbournes." The studio has similarly high hopes for ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," coming to DVD on November 22. Among the extras on the "Extreme Makeover" DVD are a behind-the-scenes featurette, bloopers and outtakes, a lighthearted documentary on the cast and a montage of banter between on-set designers Preston Sharp and Paul DiMeo.

[ August 15, 2005, 07:48 PM: Message edited by: TrineX ]