The Australian Home Entertainment Distributors Association (AHEDA) reveals the most-watched and best-selling movie and television titles for 2020, uncovering new home entertainment consumption trends aligned with the impact of COVID-19. 

When Australia’s population was looking for a welcome distraction in their homes amidst 2020, the consumption of home entertainment reached an all-time high during the peak of the pandemic.

With a wide breadth of titles and easy access to multiple platforms, it’s little wonder that in April digital purchase reached +55% and in May +29%. Digital rental followed a similar trend; in April it was +49% and May saw +43%. Furthermore, Amazon Prime Video launched its service to buy and rent movies and TV in May, expanding the competitive landscape beyond Apple TV, Google Play, Foxtel Store, YouTube, Telstra Box Office and Fetch, in addition to gaming platforms such as PlayStation and Xbox.

Jim Batchelor, Chairman, AHEDA said: “Australian consumers clearly embraced the ease and choice that digital platforms offered during the lockdown and I’m certain that this trend will continue in the future.”

As the physical cinematic experience came to a halt and new release titles were expedited to digital platforms, owning and renting movies immediately following their premiere, had never been easier or more affordable. It’s clear that consumers turned to digital entertainment to provide a welcome distraction, and also to connect them to friends and family.

The star-studded action-comedy Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony), was the top-performing and most purchased film of 2020, followed by action-adventure comedy film based on the Sonic video game Sonic The Hedgehog (Paramount), and animated hit Frozen 2 (Disney).

Oscar-nominated film the Joker (2019) (Roadshow) taking out the most-watched film in the digital renting category, followed by Sonic The Hedgehog (Paramount) and The Gentleman (2019) (Roadshow).

Batchelor said: “Jumanji has proven to be the perfect film for 2020. Fun and action for all the family, a great cast and a little nostalgia to get us through a tough year.”

It didn’t stop at films, television caught our attention too with Outlander – the complete 5th series (Sony) taking out the number one spot of most purchased in the category, followed by Brooklyn 99 – the complete 7^th series (Universal), and the 100 – the complete 7th series (Warner Bros). Interestingly, the much-hyped series The Undoing starring Nicole Kidman made its way into the top 5 for the year having only been made available from November.

The most-transacted Australian produced titles across digital platforms included: Ride Like a Girl (Sony), Invisible Man (2020) (Universal), Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (Roadshow).

The closure of cinemas through the middle of the year and the subsequent lack of theatrical films therefore flowing onto the digital transactional services meant a decline in consumption. Digital purchase was -26% in Q3 and digital rental followed a similar pattern, though not as sharp, with a decline of -12% in Q3.

The cinematic disruption, aligned with the consequences of the pandemic, positively impacted the digital transaction market, leading to a resurgence in classic films and fan favourites. As the availability of new release content started to slow, Australian’s accessed much-loved classics including titles such as Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Telstra Box Office, and Fetch offer a comprehensive selection of films – available shortly after their cinema release – allowing Aussies to access the titles they want, when they want, from preferred digital platforms, unlike streaming services.

Top 10 Best Selling Movies:

1. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony)
2. Sonic The Hedgehog (Paramount)
3. Frozen 2 (Disney)
4. Joker (2019) (Roadshow)
5. Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise Of Skywalker (Disney)
6. Bad Boys For Life (Sony)
7. The Gentlemen (Roadshow)
8. Bloodshot (Sony)
9. Scoob! (Warner Bros)
10. Ford V Ferrari (Disney)

Top 10 Rented Movies:

1. Joker (2019) (Roadshow)
2. Sonic The Hedgehog (Paramount)
3. The Gentlemen (Roadshow)
4. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony)
5. Gemini Man (2019) (Paramount)
6. 1917 (Entertainment One)
7. Knives Out (Sony)
8. Ford V Ferrari (Disney)
9. Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood (Sony)
10. Hustlers (Roadshow)

Top 10 TV Series:

1. Outlander – The Complete 5th Series (Sony)
2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine – The Complete 7th Series (Universal)
3. The 100 – The Complete 7th Series (Warner Bros)
4. Vikings – The Complete 6th Series (MGM)
5. The Undoing – The Complete 1st Series (HBO)
6. Supernatural – The Complete 15th Series (Warner Bros)
7. Big Little Lies – The Complete 2nd Series (HBO)
8. Game Of Thrones – The Complete 8th Series (HBO)
9. Chernobyl – The Complete 1st Series (HBO)
10. Succession – The Complete 1st Series (HBO)

Top 10 Australian Produced Movies:

1. Ride Like A Girl (Sony)
2. The Invisible Man (2020) (Universal)
3. Miss Fisher & The Crypt Of Tears (Roadshow)
4. Danger Close: The Battle Of Long Tan (Sony)
5. 100% Wolf (Universal)
6. Go! (Roadshow)
7. Peter Rabbit (Sony)
8. Black Water: Abyss (Universal)
9. Carl Barron – Drinking With A Fork (Universal)
10. The Nightingale (Sony)

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The post WHAT ENTERTAINED AUSSIES AMIDST THE PANDEMIC appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Music industry associations, including the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and the Country Music Association; ticket marketplace StubHub; record label conglomerates Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group; financial institution City National Bank; concert promotion, artist management, touring, and publishing company Bill Silva Entertainment; and charitable foundations and trusts including the Gross Family Foundation, George Harrison’s Material World Foundation, the Michael Jackson Estate, Alicia Keys’ She Is The Music foundation and the Yoshiki Foundation America are the latest organizations that have made major contributions to the COVID-19 Relief Fund established by the Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable organization MusiCares.

The MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund was created to help music people affected by the pandemic due to the cancellation of income-generating music events and other industry work opportunities. Since the fund’s establishment two weeks ago with initial seed donations of $1 million each by MusiCares and the Recording Academy, millions more have been raised with the support of numerous partners. However, more is needed to meet the demand.

“We are thrilled that so many in our community are coming forward to support each other and grateful for all the organizations who are standing in the gap for the music community, said Harvey Mason jr. Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “The music community remains in desperate need and many are living day to day whether they are a gigging musician, sound engineer or event logistics person. The impacts of this virus are very real as many struggle to know where their next rent payment is coming from  or how next week’s groceries are going to be paid for, so our fund is there to help meet needs in a small way.”

Beyond the initial donations, all Recording Academy Chapters have committed to fundraising in their local communities. Additionally, the Recording Academy appealed to Congress to further protect musicians, performers, songwriters, and studio professionals such as self-employed gig workers who are impacted by cancellations due to the ongoing pandemic.

The stimulus package has since passed, and includes key provisions and protections that will benefit countless music industry professionals who are struggling in the wake of Coronavirus.

With the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, music industry professionals, including artists, production crews, technicians, and anyone impacted by the loss of income due to live music event cancelations, can apply for basic living assistance.

If you wish to support our efforts to assist music professionals in need, visit the official site to contribute.

If you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, you can go the official site to request assistance now.

The post Recording Academy create a Covid-19 Relief Fund appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

SpecialEffect, the UK charity that specialises in helping people with disabilities enjoy the fun and inclusion of video games, has announced the total amount raised from its One Special Day 2017 fundraising event on the 29th of September 2017 is £446,000.

The charity’s largest fundraiser of the year, where partners from the games industry gave either 100% of UK or worldwide sales on 29 September, will help its team of occupational therapists and technology specialists to meet the increasing demand for their experience and expertise over the coming months.

Dr Mick Donegan, Founder and CEO of SpecialEffect said, “The money raised from One Special Day is a huge financial boost to SpecialEffect. It will enable us to take on the extra staff we need to help even more severely disabled people all over the world to play the games they love. Being supported by so many games industry partners like Supercell, SEGA, Seriously, Unity Technologies, Codemasters, Playdemic and Rovio is not only a tremendous funding boost but also a terrific morale boost to our passionate and dedicated team here at SpecialEffect.”

“The money raised from One Special Day 2017 will go towards employing two additional clinical staff to join our growing team of occupational therapists and technology specialists. It will also help pay for vital modifications to SpecialEffect’s national accessible games room where people with disabilities can visit to try out a huge range of hardware and software modifications.”

The One Special Day event, which attracted worldwide attention and very positive publicity including a tweet out from reality mega-star Kim Kardashian, is set to take place again on 28th of September 2018 with a significant number of the One Special Day 2017 partners already committed again this year.

SpecialEffect are an award-winning charity that enables people with physical disabilities to benefit from the fun, inclusion and therapy of video games. They support people of all ages through personalised assessments, equipment loans and equipment modifications.

The post One Special Day appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

It’s no secret I love a good zombie or apocalyptic film. Whether it’s really worth my time though, that’s another matter and one that I find tends to pop up a lot when dealing with the genre.

Pandemic falls in to the zombie genre but is also very much a drama and action film too. The gore is present of a zombie film but it’s never overpowering, something I think a lot of zombie films are doing these days. Sure, there’s a virus that turns people into deadly creatures but it isn’t the sole focus if but the plot device instead.

Although many will now resent the genre because of its excessive increase in content over the recent years, fans who are willing to accept typical story lines and plots of the zombie or apocalyptic genre, will enjoy Pandemic. I for one couldn’t be any more aware that perhaps the film I’m watching has been done before – but it doesn’t stop me from enjoying it, something I think is necessary to accept for various films.

Pandemic chooses to focus on the search for uninfected humans. The world may be broken but, if done right, there’s a possibility that it can be put back together.

Unlike films that throw all means of civilisation out the window, Pandemic’s military works with people to not necessarily find a cure but at least preserve what’s left of humanity. From this perspective, the audience is given a different understanding behind the process of the sickness. As one of the main characters made her way through the cells she, and us as an audience, were given an explanation behind the five stages of the zombie virus.

Although typical in some sense, I was still fascinated by the sequence and appreciated the film’s effort to understand the transformation.

Surprisingly for a smaller budget film, Pandemic features a few familiar faces such as Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Mekhi Phifer (ER and Divergent) and Paul Guilfoyle (CSI). I say surprisingly but it does seem to be more and more common for bigger television or movie stars to feature in straight to DVD movies.

The stand out feature in Pandemic would have to be the first person perspective or POV cinematography that featured a lot throughout the film. It isn’t done very often and is more prominent in video games. Narrative-wise these shots were justified as cameras mounted on their hoods to record and document their travels.

From the trailer, I assumed these POV shots would be from one character but instead they jumped between characters whether through conversations or general sequences. It wasn’t jarring, it was somewhat fun, but it’s use was definitely questionable and felt as though it was constantly reminding you that it was a film that was trying really hard to experiment.

Pandemic is not as sleek as it could be and misses an indie charm that allows films of this genre to stick out from the crowd. If you don’t have that pizzazz or spark, your flame is just going to go out and unfortunately this is what happens to Pandemic.