Question:
Looks like 2002 was a very good year for the DVD format:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/2638017.stm
Twice as many DVD players were sold in the UK in 2002 compared with 2001, boosted by the popularity of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
Some 3.8 million DVD players were bought in the last 12 months, meaning one in four households in the UK now owns the technology. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was the UK's most popular DVD of 2002, selling four million copies.
That was followed by Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which sold 3.5 million copies, and animated hit Monsters, Inc, was third, shifting 2.5 million discs.
Total sales of DVD discs showed a 111% rise on the previous year, according to figures from the British Video Association (BVA). The strength of DVD sales helped the overall video market - comprising both VHS and DVD - rise by 26%. And DVDs proved to be popular Christmas presents, with 20 million discs and 1.2 million players sold in December.
Despite the rising popularity of DVD, sales of VHS videos remain "remarkably resilient", the BVA said. Some 74 million VHS videos were sold in 2002 - excluding mail order - a drop of 13%.
"This has been a wonderful year for video in general and DVD in particular - but also for family entertainment," according to Lavinia Carey, director general of the BVA. "The resilience of VHS in the face of such strong DVD performance is also remarkable - with Harry Potter selling 2.2 million on VHS alone, this is hardly a format that has past its sell-by date."
A similar story was posted on the DVD Reviewer website:
The typically bumper retail month that was December proved to be 10% up on the year before thanks to a staggering 87% increase in the DVD sector. Thanks to an ever increasing market penetration for the format, and a decline in VHS sales, DVD managed to account for 52% of all video sales for 2002. Things had been almost looking like a VHS victory for most of the year but the holiday period saw DVDs take a boost to account for 56% of the market, placing it in the lead for the first year ever.
Whilst during 2001, only the top five selling discs clocked up over 50,000, last year saw the top ten DVDs manage sales above this benchmark. Minority Report led the pack with 120,000+ sold, whilst Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring came in at 110,000+ units. Budget players have helped fuel the continued growth in the market, and Prism Leisure managed to shift 250,000 of its player and film bundles. Mark Pearce, the software director for Prism, said, "In 2003 we will get strongly involved in consumer marketing and expect to increase sales. We are absolutely delighted with our 2002 sales, which doubled our expectations and we look forward to continuing to build on our successful relationships with our customers in 2003."
Also doing well out of the Christmas period was online retailer Blackstar, who traditionally see a slow down in the run up to the holidays. Ian Loughran, the managing director said, "It kept going right up to the very last minute. In previous years it might have slowed off earlier in December but it really kept very, very busy right up til Christmas." Sales of DVDs at the retailer have been way ahead of VHS for some time, indicating that internet users are way ahead of the rest of the populous when it comes to adopting technology earlier.
When I read the title I thought this was going to be about how the Video Rental Chain was invaluable in promoting DVD.
Thank God it isn't about those overpriced idiots.
Originally posted by Dave L
When I read the title I thought this was going to be about how the Video Rental Chain was invaluable in promoting DVD.
Thank God it isn't about those overpriced idiots.
To be fair mate most of our prices are cheaper than hmv by a pound or so. The problem with blockbuster is they dont action price changes quick enough. (In my opinion anyway).
I'm surprised that VHS is still doing so well, I thought that it would be on it's last legs by now.
Originally posted by stephen
I'm surprised that VHS is still doing so well, I thought that it would be on it's last legs by now.
It'll take mass market recordable DVD to kill VHS off properly.
Mind you, interesting to see that Harry Potter for one is still selling in large numbers on VHS. I'd have thought that kid-friendly titles like this would induce parents to go for it on a more durable format.
Originally posted by Mark Wilson
To be fair mate most of our prices are cheaper than hmv by a pound or so. The problem with blockbuster is they dont action price changes quick enough. (In my opinion anyway).
I'm not talking about retail prices, but rental prices. I appreciate that the artical is discussing sales and not rentals, but when I saw the thread title I thought about the Rental Chain and not about retail. :)
Do they still have VHS?:lol: Though very surprised by this, but as Ben H said they'll have to mass market some kind of affordable recordable DVD first. I'll give in 3 years before VHS has gone for good.
Originally posted by Ben H
It'll take mass market recordable DVD to kill VHS off properly.
Mind you, interesting to see that Harry Potter for one is still selling in large numbers on VHS. I'd have thought that kid-friendly titles like this would induce parents to go for it on a more durable format.
There's a lot of old VHS players sat in Kids bedrooms now. So that would explain that.
With record numbers of people going to the cinema year after year and the continued growth of DVD, does Hollywoods argument that the internet and piracy is damaging the industry hold water ?
What surprises me is that alomst 50% of sales are still VHS :eek:
Can you imagine how many people that is, still buying VHS :gag:
Plus there is just as much VHS promoting as there is DVD on TV and in magazines. Studios should stop advertising their VHS releases.
Originally posted by Lenny Nero
What surprises me is that alomst 50% of sales are still VHS :eek:
Can you imagine how many people that is, still buying VHS :gag:
Plus there is just as much VHS promoting as there is DVD on TV and in magazines. Studios should stop advertising their VHS releases.
It still amazes me that people will buy VHS too, but there's no way studios will stop advertising VHS when 75% of households still don't have a DVD player
Might seem hard for us DVD fans to imagine, but a lot of older less "tech savvy" people will stick with VHS for years, the fact that videos are cheaper than ever to buy will just encourage them.
I remember when I worked in a record shop not so long ago, the amount of people who would want an album on cassette cos they still had no other way to play music astounded me. Half the time you couldn't order the titles in the first place.
blockbusters are all well and good but for me one of (if not the) best things about DVD for me is the access it gives you to internatinal cinema by e-tailers.........it would be interesting to get some figures on that, although i guess it would be hard to co-ordinate such a thing
Video is still a huge seller, more instore than online, I think video will be around for a few years to come yet.
I wonder what these figures would look like if people didn't buy DVDs from other countries, I know this probably won't be a huge number but it must affect the figures.
Out of interest, does anyone know how long it took for cassettes/vinyl to become obsolete after CD was launced? It would be interesting to see how this compares with VHS becoming obsolete.
Has anyone ever seen DVD advertises? I never have, yet it seems to have taken off very quickly.
Originally posted by stephen
Out of interest, does anyone know how long it took for cassettes/vinyl to become obsolete after CD was launced? It .
Vinyl is not obsolete !!! Ask most Dj's out there and they all prefer to use Vinyl instead of CD's.
Vinyl is not obsolete !!! Ask most Dj's out there and they all prefer to use Vinyl instead of CD's.
Vinyl is certainly not obsolete, I rather pay 50p for a sexond hand record than pay the equivalent on CD. Anyway, the sound is better on vinyl.
Originally posted by Ben H
It'll take mass market recordable DVD to kill VHS off properly.
Mind you, interesting to see that Harry Potter for one is still selling in large numbers on VHS. I'd have thought that kid-friendly titles like this would induce parents to go for it on a more durable format.
It could be argued that VHS could be a more durable format for kids as a lot of kids don't exactly handle stuff with a great deal of care. So you get scratches on the dvd and then obviously possible problems when it comes to watching the film etc. So I'm going to be brave and say that VHS is a bit more kid friendly in my opinion. But obviously DVD is a far superior format as we all know. :)
If DVD's were more like DVD RAM then kids cn hold them wihtout any risk of scratches.
It is down to saving money as usual.
Originally posted by The Dude
It could be argued that VHS could be a more durable format for kids as a lot of kids don't exactly handle stuff with a great deal of care. So you get scratches on the dvd and then obviously possible problems when it comes to watching the film etc. Judging by some of the discs I have rented over the years, most adults don't know how to look after them. One I got from Blockbusters, as well as having the obligatory scratches all over the playing surface, had jam on it!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/2638017.stm
Twice as many DVD players were sold in the UK in 2002 compared with 2001, boosted by the popularity of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
Some 3.8 million DVD players were bought in the last 12 months, meaning one in four households in the UK now owns the technology. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was the UK's most popular DVD of 2002, selling four million copies.
That was followed by Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which sold 3.5 million copies, and animated hit Monsters, Inc, was third, shifting 2.5 million discs.
Total sales of DVD discs showed a 111% rise on the previous year, according to figures from the British Video Association (BVA). The strength of DVD sales helped the overall video market - comprising both VHS and DVD - rise by 26%. And DVDs proved to be popular Christmas presents, with 20 million discs and 1.2 million players sold in December.
Despite the rising popularity of DVD, sales of VHS videos remain "remarkably resilient", the BVA said. Some 74 million VHS videos were sold in 2002 - excluding mail order - a drop of 13%.
"This has been a wonderful year for video in general and DVD in particular - but also for family entertainment," according to Lavinia Carey, director general of the BVA. "The resilience of VHS in the face of such strong DVD performance is also remarkable - with Harry Potter selling 2.2 million on VHS alone, this is hardly a format that has past its sell-by date."
Answers:
A similar story was posted on the DVD Reviewer website:
The typically bumper retail month that was December proved to be 10% up on the year before thanks to a staggering 87% increase in the DVD sector. Thanks to an ever increasing market penetration for the format, and a decline in VHS sales, DVD managed to account for 52% of all video sales for 2002. Things had been almost looking like a VHS victory for most of the year but the holiday period saw DVDs take a boost to account for 56% of the market, placing it in the lead for the first year ever.
Whilst during 2001, only the top five selling discs clocked up over 50,000, last year saw the top ten DVDs manage sales above this benchmark. Minority Report led the pack with 120,000+ sold, whilst Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring came in at 110,000+ units. Budget players have helped fuel the continued growth in the market, and Prism Leisure managed to shift 250,000 of its player and film bundles. Mark Pearce, the software director for Prism, said, "In 2003 we will get strongly involved in consumer marketing and expect to increase sales. We are absolutely delighted with our 2002 sales, which doubled our expectations and we look forward to continuing to build on our successful relationships with our customers in 2003."
Also doing well out of the Christmas period was online retailer Blackstar, who traditionally see a slow down in the run up to the holidays. Ian Loughran, the managing director said, "It kept going right up to the very last minute. In previous years it might have slowed off earlier in December but it really kept very, very busy right up til Christmas." Sales of DVDs at the retailer have been way ahead of VHS for some time, indicating that internet users are way ahead of the rest of the populous when it comes to adopting technology earlier.
Answers:
When I read the title I thought this was going to be about how the Video Rental Chain was invaluable in promoting DVD.
Thank God it isn't about those overpriced idiots.
Answers:
Originally posted by Dave L
When I read the title I thought this was going to be about how the Video Rental Chain was invaluable in promoting DVD.
Thank God it isn't about those overpriced idiots.
To be fair mate most of our prices are cheaper than hmv by a pound or so. The problem with blockbuster is they dont action price changes quick enough. (In my opinion anyway).
Answers:
I'm surprised that VHS is still doing so well, I thought that it would be on it's last legs by now.
Answers:
Originally posted by stephen
I'm surprised that VHS is still doing so well, I thought that it would be on it's last legs by now.
It'll take mass market recordable DVD to kill VHS off properly.
Mind you, interesting to see that Harry Potter for one is still selling in large numbers on VHS. I'd have thought that kid-friendly titles like this would induce parents to go for it on a more durable format.
Answers:
Originally posted by Mark Wilson
To be fair mate most of our prices are cheaper than hmv by a pound or so. The problem with blockbuster is they dont action price changes quick enough. (In my opinion anyway).
I'm not talking about retail prices, but rental prices. I appreciate that the artical is discussing sales and not rentals, but when I saw the thread title I thought about the Rental Chain and not about retail. :)
Answers:
Do they still have VHS?:lol: Though very surprised by this, but as Ben H said they'll have to mass market some kind of affordable recordable DVD first. I'll give in 3 years before VHS has gone for good.
Answers:
Originally posted by Ben H
It'll take mass market recordable DVD to kill VHS off properly.
Mind you, interesting to see that Harry Potter for one is still selling in large numbers on VHS. I'd have thought that kid-friendly titles like this would induce parents to go for it on a more durable format.
There's a lot of old VHS players sat in Kids bedrooms now. So that would explain that.
Answers:
With record numbers of people going to the cinema year after year and the continued growth of DVD, does Hollywoods argument that the internet and piracy is damaging the industry hold water ?
Answers:
What surprises me is that alomst 50% of sales are still VHS :eek:
Can you imagine how many people that is, still buying VHS :gag:
Plus there is just as much VHS promoting as there is DVD on TV and in magazines. Studios should stop advertising their VHS releases.
Answers:
Originally posted by Lenny Nero
What surprises me is that alomst 50% of sales are still VHS :eek:
Can you imagine how many people that is, still buying VHS :gag:
Plus there is just as much VHS promoting as there is DVD on TV and in magazines. Studios should stop advertising their VHS releases.
It still amazes me that people will buy VHS too, but there's no way studios will stop advertising VHS when 75% of households still don't have a DVD player
Answers:
Might seem hard for us DVD fans to imagine, but a lot of older less "tech savvy" people will stick with VHS for years, the fact that videos are cheaper than ever to buy will just encourage them.
I remember when I worked in a record shop not so long ago, the amount of people who would want an album on cassette cos they still had no other way to play music astounded me. Half the time you couldn't order the titles in the first place.
Answers:
blockbusters are all well and good but for me one of (if not the) best things about DVD for me is the access it gives you to internatinal cinema by e-tailers.........it would be interesting to get some figures on that, although i guess it would be hard to co-ordinate such a thing
Answers:
Video is still a huge seller, more instore than online, I think video will be around for a few years to come yet.
Answers:
I wonder what these figures would look like if people didn't buy DVDs from other countries, I know this probably won't be a huge number but it must affect the figures.
Answers:
Out of interest, does anyone know how long it took for cassettes/vinyl to become obsolete after CD was launced? It would be interesting to see how this compares with VHS becoming obsolete.
Has anyone ever seen DVD advertises? I never have, yet it seems to have taken off very quickly.
Answers:
Originally posted by stephen
Out of interest, does anyone know how long it took for cassettes/vinyl to become obsolete after CD was launced? It .
Vinyl is not obsolete !!! Ask most Dj's out there and they all prefer to use Vinyl instead of CD's.
Answers:
Vinyl is not obsolete !!! Ask most Dj's out there and they all prefer to use Vinyl instead of CD's.
Vinyl is certainly not obsolete, I rather pay 50p for a sexond hand record than pay the equivalent on CD. Anyway, the sound is better on vinyl.
Answers:
Originally posted by Ben H
It'll take mass market recordable DVD to kill VHS off properly.
Mind you, interesting to see that Harry Potter for one is still selling in large numbers on VHS. I'd have thought that kid-friendly titles like this would induce parents to go for it on a more durable format.
It could be argued that VHS could be a more durable format for kids as a lot of kids don't exactly handle stuff with a great deal of care. So you get scratches on the dvd and then obviously possible problems when it comes to watching the film etc. So I'm going to be brave and say that VHS is a bit more kid friendly in my opinion. But obviously DVD is a far superior format as we all know. :)
Answers:
If DVD's were more like DVD RAM then kids cn hold them wihtout any risk of scratches.
It is down to saving money as usual.
Answers:
Originally posted by The Dude
It could be argued that VHS could be a more durable format for kids as a lot of kids don't exactly handle stuff with a great deal of care. So you get scratches on the dvd and then obviously possible problems when it comes to watching the film etc. Judging by some of the discs I have rented over the years, most adults don't know how to look after them. One I got from Blockbusters, as well as having the obligatory scratches all over the playing surface, had jam on it!
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