Iger critiques UltraViolet digital rights locker in fiscal Q1 earnings call

While Bob Iger didn't rule out the option of supporting the UltraViolet digital rights locker, the Disney (NYSE: DIS) chief appears unimpressed with the technology that would allow consumers to buy a DVD or Blu-ray disc and access the video through platforms ranging from cable video-on-demand systems to websites and mobile phones.

Iger

"I don't want to sound too critical, but we're taking a wait-and-see approach on UltraViolet. I'm not suggesting that we're not open minded about it, but so far, I'm not sure that it's proven to be as robust as we'd expected or as consumer friendly as we had hoped," Iger said on an earnings call with analysts Tuesday.

About 75 movie studios, distributors and technology companies are backing the UltraViolet digital rights locker through the Digital Entertainment and Content Ecosystem consortium, including Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Cox Communications and CableLabs. Disney, which has been developing its own digital rights locker called KeyChest, has been the biggest holdout.

Iger also said that the company needs to make more progress on KeyChest, which could allow consumers that buy Disney movies on DVD to access the content on multiple platforms. "We haven't rolled out KeyChest as extensively as we hoped that we would at this point," Iger said.

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