Plans by DirecTV (DTV) to launch premium video on demand are being criticized by many Hollywood directors and producers. In a open letter by the National Association of Theatre Owners, filmmakers slam imminent plans by four studios, including Sony Pictures (SNE) and Warner Bros. (TWX), to offer movies via VOD just eight weeks after their theatrical release. According to the letter, "As a crucial part of a business that last year grossed close to $32B in worldwide theatrical ticket sales, we in the creative community feel that now is the time for studios and cable companies to acknowledge that a release pattern for premium video-on-demand that invades the current theatrical window could irrevocably harm the financial model of our film industry."