The Wall Street Journal reports today that disc sales have been falling since 2005. But other factors have emerged that have caused a sharper decline, such as the recession, convenient rental options and confusion over the new Blu-ray high-def format.
The launch of in-store kiosks from companies such as Redbox have also contributed to reducing DVD sales. The kiosks sometimes offer disc rentals for as little as $1 a night.
(See more below.)
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"Within physical
rental, we think the advances of
Redbox and Netflix are potentially
understated by the data," a Wall
Street analyst said, according to
WSJ. "A bottoms-up view of the first
half of 2009 underscores the
continued shift away from
traditional, in-store rental and
toward Redbox and Netflix."
The Digital Entertainment Group
study reports that consumers have
come to realize that Blu-ray offers
the best picture on the market. But
there's still confusion over issues
such as whether a standard-def DVD
will play on a Blu-ray player. (It
will.) Consequently, many consumers
are balking at embracing Blu-ray at
this time.
Click to read more of today's Swanni Sez.
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TVPredictions.com
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Phillip Swann is
president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in
dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox
News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The
Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The
Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at
swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
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