AVN Awards 2015 Eligibility Expanded to VOD-Only Titles

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—With changing times come changes in the norms and standards that prevail in both business and leisure. That statement is certainly true in adult entertainment, for which times have indisputably changed so far as the prevailing manner by which it is distributed and enjoyed.  In an effort to better reflect the landscape of today's adult entertainment marketplace, AVN Media Network has decided for the 2015 AVN Awards to expand its longstanding eligibility requirements for adult movies seeking consideration to include ones distributed solely via video-on-demand, in accordance with the following guidelines: • A title must have been made available during the eligibility period for VOD download and/or streaming through at least two (2) major for-pay VOD providers, defined as ones carrying movies from at least 100 active labels/studios. • The title must have clearly marked post dates falling within the eligibility period across all qualifying VOD platforms carrying it. • Companies wishing to submit VOD-only titles to AVN for consideration in the 2015 AVN Awards must provide links showing that said titles meet the above requirements. The eligibility period for the 2015 AVN Awards is Oct. 8, 2013-Sept. 30, 2014. To be considered, a title must have been released within these dates, either via VOD as outlined above or on DVD in accordance with the traditional distribution requirements of being stocked with five wholesale distributors and/or 100 retail outlets. With the implementation of these new criteria, the allowance of the past several years for a delayed release deadline on DVD provided a title was released via VOD by the standard deadine will be discontinued. All titles must be released via one of the above methods by Sept. 30. "The time to make this amendment has come," AVN senior editor Peter Warren said. "Stepping back and taking a good, hard look at the reality of how the industry has changed made it clear that we could delay it no longer. "We took a lot of care in formulating these new guidelines so as to make their impact as minimal as possible on studios and producers," Warren continued. "Those who have planned their release schedules for specific productions to meet our customary eligibility requirements should not be affected; our hope is simply that this will open the door for some who have eschewed the DVD format, and serve as a pivotal step in the evolution of the AVN Awards."