CARLSBAD, Calif., April 19, 2021 — Blu-ray Disc of the Year went to Shout! Factory’s Friday the 13th Collection: Deluxe Edition, which also won Best Boxed Set. HBO’s Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc set won TV on Disc of the Year. Warner Bros.’ The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy won Best 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc.
On the digital side, Lionsgate’s But I’m a Cheerleader: Director’s Cut won Best Digital Sellthrough Release, while Paramount’s Love and Monsters earned Best Premium Video on Demand Release. Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 was selected as Best New Streaming Movie, while Disney+ series The Mandalorian: Season 2 won Best Season of a Scripted Series.
In other award categories, Lionsgate’s Knives Out was a triple winner, selected as Fan-Favorite Title of the Year, Best New Movie on Disc and Best Audio/Visual Quality.
Vintage TV shows also were hailed, with Shout! Factory’s “The Carol Burnett Show” picking up a streaming win as Best Binge Series and Mill Creek’s Return of Ultraman honored as Best Disc Release of a Vintage TV Series.
Winners were chosen by a panel of judges in conjunction with an online consumer vote for eligible titles submitted for consideration by studios, distributors and industry professionals.
The annual home entertainment honors are presented by Media Play News, one of five Hollywood trades and the only one to focus exclusively on the home. The awards have been presented in various forms by Media Play News and its predecessor publications for nearly 20 years.
“Even in a pandemic, the studios still put out great content for both physical and digital delivery,” said Media Play News publisher Thomas K. Arnold.
He notes that for the first time, this year’s awards also include categories for content from streaming services in addition to transactional VOD and disc releases.
“Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max – it’s all home entertainment,” he said.
