Home Entertainment Trends: Will 2012 be the Year of the Turnaround?
By Rob Scott
December 28, 2011
December 28, 2011
- The home entertainment industry saw some interesting changes in 2011, including a reduction in the number of Netflix subscribers, VOD starting to attract consumers, movie rentals via Facebook, dramatic changes to YouTube content, and the launch of UltraViolet.
- The industry posted its first positive quarter since the start of the 2008 economic downturn, with consumer spending up in the third quarter of 2011 compared to the same period the year before.
- “We started out the year with tough year-over-year comps to box office, but have made steady gains throughout 2011, with an especially strong third quarter,” says Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video. “We seem to be getting some momentum in the sellthrough space, with catalog being a particular bright spot. Black Friday was very strong this year and also bodes well for a strong finish to 2011 and good momentum into the first quarter of 2012.”
- “To be sure, challenges remain,” reports Home Media Magazine. “3D has yet to come into its own, in large part due to the various competing formats on the hardware side. BD-Live never became a major selling point, and retail merchandising on behalf of Blu-ray Disc, in the minds of many observers, remains woefully inadequate compared with the royal welcome afforded DVD a decade ago.”
- However, a number of studio executives are optimistic for the upcoming year. “In 2012,” explains Lori MacPherson, EVP of global product management for Disney, “we’ll see greater consumption of Blu-ray and the many digital offerings, new and compelling 3D applications as well as the emergence of even more ubiquitous consumer access to our content.”
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