Amazon Creates 'Never Before On DVD' Store

A few different studios have experimented with ways to make 'deep cut' catalog films available to consumers on a limited basis. The model for such a plan has to be Warner Archive, which creates made-to-order DVDs from an ever-expanding catalog of newly mastered transfers.

Amazon has sold Warner Archive discs in the past, and has also been part of MGM's initiative to offer similar products. Now Amazon is really diving into the manufacture on demand (MOD) DVD market, with the new 'Never Before on DVD' store.

The digital store is adding content to offer more than 2,000 titles from studios including Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Universal, and Fox. Among the Fox offerings are titles from MGM. All discs are created on DV-R based on consumer orders. Not all the titles are new to Amazon, or new to MOD, but Amazon is adding more titles, and organizing them in a new specific way.

The storefront can be accessed at www.amazon.com/neverondvd and any disc purchased from this subset of Amazon is manufactured by the CreateSpace DVD on Demand service. Blu-ray editions are not available.

When browsing films on Amazon, you'll see a note (highlighted in yellow in the listing snapshot below) indicating that the disc is an MOD offering rather than a traditional factory-pressed DVD.

This store includes titles that are already available on Amazon's movie streaming service, and other new titles will be available to stream as well as they're added. In addition to the movie offerings, CBS Networks, MTV and Nickelodeon are bringing TV shows to the MOD store.