Open The Floodgates: Greater Access To Content Will Raise Studio Profits

[Commentary] The big movie studios are all sitting on 80 or 100 years of library content. Each of those libraries includes hundreds of hit films that have connected with audiences worldwide and are proven commodities in the marketplace. Maximizing the value of library content is job one for studio heads, because it permits them to exploit proven market intelligence -- that is, whether or not people like this movie over that movie -- to further capitalize on a studio's initial production and marketing expenditure. In other words, content libraries are central to growth and profitability. And outside the library stand millions of people who love movies and television series, most of whom have cell phones, iPods and laptops with them or nearby. So why can't I buy any movie I want through iTunes? Why can't I order "Saving Private Ryan" through my xBox and watch it after I play "Call of Duty"? Why can't I watch "Snakes on a Plane" when I'm on a plane?