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RENTAL ROUNDUP

Ingram, Buena Vista Go ForeignEntertainment here and Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Burbank, Calif., have joined for a promotion geared to increase foreign-film rentals, and increase sales of foreign and so-called "art house" movies.In the "Passport to Adventure" program, retail customers receive a passport and stamps representing each foreign film they rent. Based on the number of stamps they collect,

Ingram, Buena Vista Go Foreign

Entertainment here and Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Burbank, Calif., have joined for a promotion geared to increase foreign-film rentals, and increase sales of foreign and so-called "art house" movies.

In the "Passport to Adventure" program, retail customers receive a passport and stamps representing each foreign film they rent. Based on the number of stamps they collect, they may be eligible to win prizes such as globe stress balls, picture frame alarm clocks, leatherette backpacks, and a grand prize of a trip to Europe or Walt Disney World. The program runs from July through September.

"The idea behind this program is to expose the renting public to something new, something they'll probably enjoy more than they may have originally thought," said Julie Lummus, Ingram's brand manager for Buena Vista product. "With the added incentive of winning a trip to either Europe or Walt Disney World, we're expecting to drive rentals and increase awareness of this genre."

To participate, retailers need to purchase minimum quantities of certain buy-in titles that include "Mouth to Mouth," "Four Days in September," "Summer Fling" and "I Love You, I Love You Not." The minimum buy-in varies by title.

America Online to Offer Videos

DULLES, Va. -- America Online here and the Videos Now division of Digital Courier Technologies, San Francisco, have formed a strategic marketing alliance for the sale of videos on-line. Starting in August, it will offer over 100,000 selections in all formats, including VHS, Beta, Laserdisc, DVD and Divx.

Fast Growth Is Projected for DVD

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Replication of software in the new DVD format will reach 75 million discs in 1998, with growth expected to 1.1 billion discs in the year 2002, according to a study by the International Recording Media Association. This includes the entertainment titles for DVD-video and the computer software products for DVD-ROM.

"It is rare for a new product standard to impact not one, but two separate industries at the same time," said Charles Van Horn, IRMA's executive vice president. "Both segments are expected to be strong in 1998 as the public becomes more aware of the greater storage capacity and digital quality of DVD-ROM and DVD-video."

Sega to Relocate Headquarters

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Video game company Sega of America plans to relocate its headquarters to an area south of Market Street in San Francisco that has become a hotbed of multimedia development activity. The company will move to the Townsend Center at 650 Townsend Street in January 1999. Over 35,000 people are now employed in interactive media jobs in San Francisco, according to a recent study.

Top 10 Supermarket Video Rental Titles

Title (Weeks Out) Studio Retail Last Week

1 Scream 2 (2) Buena Vista $107.37 1

2 As Good As It Gets (5) Columbia $23.96 2

3 Spice World (1) Columbia $22.95 New

4 Home Alone 3 (3) Fox $22.95 3

5 Starship Troopers (5) Columbia $107.37 4

6 The Rainmaker (3) Paramount $105.77 6

7 Tomorrow Never Dies (6) MGM $105.77 7

8 Mousehunt (7) Dreamworks $22.99 5

9 The Jackal (8) Universal $107.37 9

10 Flubber (9) Buena Vista $22.99 8

This chart, tailored for the supermarket video market, is based on information taken from more than 1,000 supermarket rental locations serviced by Ingram Entertainment, La Vergne, Tenn.