VIDEOS IN MOTION - fasopo

distribution than the video format (in VHS, 35 VCD or DVD), 36 and thus the incidence of digitalpiracy on its economy is much higher. When VCD and DVD began to replace older VHStechnology, the duplicating process became quicker and cheaper, and the reproduction and sale ofunauthorized copies became an easier and more attractive business. While at the time of VHS theincidence of piracy on the video economy was relatively acceptable, with the introduction of digitaltechnologies its impact became unbearable for official producers and distributors.Furthermore, as Amaka Igwe underlined in a recent interview, the switch from VHS to VCDtechnology introduced another problem. During the VHS era producers tended to make a largenumber of copies (at least 100.000 par film) and then, if the film was not successful, they wouldreuse the unsold tapes for the following release. In this way, the economic losses generated by anunsuccessful film were reduced. With the introduction of VCD this was not possible any more.You couldn’t invest in a 100.000 copies because if you don’t sell them you are introuble, so people started making just 5/10.000 copies, but for a market of 150 millionpeople, what is it to make 5000 copies? And meanwhile we didn't create a soliddistribution… and a VCD as soon as you buy you can put it in your computer and dumpit, so piracy became a big problem (Igwe 2010).The small number of original copies available on the market opened unexpected highways forpirated products.With the introduction on the Nigerian market of “combos”, compilations of 12 to 40 films incompressed format, the situation worsened. 37 These compilations are sold for the same price as asingle VCD of a Nigerian new release and offer a much larger amount of contents. 38 According to35 The introduction of VHS technology on the Nigerian market has profoundly contributed to the birth and growth of thevideo industry. The inexpensiveness, mobility and facility of use of this technology has dramatically extended theaccessibility to media production and circulation. For a discussion of the role that the introduction of VHS technologyhad in reshaping the global media environment see O'Regan (1991).36 By the terms “window” and “windowing” the cinema industries indicate their control of circulation over time. Inglobal film industries like Hollywood or Bollywood a film is normally released firstly in cinema halls, then after sometime on DVD, then on Pay TV and finally on normal television stations.37 The word “combo” comes from a compression of the word “combination”. They appeared first on Asian markets and,according to my records, were introduced in Nigeria around 2005/2006.38 The price of a single VCD is between 200 and 250 Naira, which at the current (2011) exchange rate corresponds toaround USD 1,25/1.50.49