Is the Press Beginning Paying Attention to Digital/VOD Content?

Conventional wisdom is if you want press for your movie, open it theatrically.  If you want  the press to pay attention to your episodic work, you better hope it's on television.  But things appear to be changing. While it's undeniable that a theatrical release opens a movie up to a wider press core than a home video or VOD/digital only release, it's also true that the press seems to be getting more and more comfortable writing about VOD and digital content.  Indiewire has started been running a monthly column calling out their top VOD picks, featuring many films that have limited, if any, theatrical prospects.  Check out this month's list.

And while the NYTimes still requires a New York theatrical opening in order to review a film and is not offering regular reviews of the latest Machinima series they have not been shy in writing about digital content.  Last week they published an article dedicated to the exclusive digital content (mostly short form comedy) HBO has been releasing on HBO Go.

Reputable movie-centric PR agencies like Falco INK have digital practices that not only focus on online press, but that take on direct to digital titles.

This is all part of a bigger question as to whether content should be defined by it's distribution.  If you're like me and don't know many people who saw Office Space or Clerks in the movie theater... or who watched Arrested Development on Fox-- but who love all of the above, you be on my side and say the answer is "no."