Get a passel of media execs at an investor conference and topic A, of course, is how to make money on the Net. A close second these days is Redbox.
Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman likes it, sort of. Paramount has a deal to distribute new titles to the company's kiosks, where it rents DVDs for $1 a night. Redbox rentals are cheap so customers love it, but most studio heads aren't as pleased.
Dauman, addressing the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference Wednesday, said the pact gives the studio data to test how its titles perform in various markets. And he said Redbox has agreed to destroy used copies of videos after they go through the kiosk cycle so they won't flood the market -- a key point.
"We felt that rather than litigate this, let's test it," he said.
Dauman hopes that the company will move to various price points with higher fees for new releases instead of a flat rate for all.
Instead of dealing, three other studios, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox and Sony, are delaying DVD distribution to the kiosks for a month or more after release. Redbox is suing them on antirust grounds.
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, also at the conference, defended the delay.
CBS chief exec Leslie Moonves, who's just now getting a small studio up and running, said he's just happy he's not in a position to take a stand on Redbox either way -- at least publicly.
"Our first movie doesn't come out until Jan. 22, so I'm not saying anything. I wish them all well -- the folks who are suing them and the folks who are working with them. I've got enough fights on my hands," he said.
On other topics, Moonves and Dauman both said the advertising market is picking up, with automakers led by General Motors entering the land of the living. They said motion picture advertising is strong, and retail, pharmaceutical, technology, food and other sectors are coming back.
Also of note at the conference: IAC/InterActiveCorp CEO Barry Diller said he has no interest in buying AOL, throwing cold water on speculation to the contrary.
"As far as purchasing AOL, I have no interest in purchasing AOL," he said. "There are a couple of alliances that might be possible for us, but maybe they will, maybe they won't happen."