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VHS sales slip as DVD market matures...

Zim Hosein

Zim Hosein

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Super Moderator
For the first time in home video's nearly 30-year history, sales and rentals slipped in 2005 as slowing growth in DVDs couldn't overcome falling prices and a dying VHS market.

New figures from the Digital Entertainment Group show 2005's DVD sales at $16.3 billion, up 5 percent from 2004, and DVD rentals at $6.5 billion, up 14 percent. But the overall home video market fell slightly, to $24.3 billion from 2004's $24.5 billion.

?The DVD market matured much more quickly than anyone expected,? says Scott Hettrick, editor of DVD Exclusive. The industry ?shot itself in the foot by lowering DVD prices too much and too quickly. There is little growth left.?

Though disc sales continue to boom, prices in the fall fell to as little as $1 in stores. And fewer blockbuster titles hit the peaks of previous years. ?The Incredibles? was the only video last year to top $300 million. The dip in DVD sales mirrors what Hollywood is seeing in theatres: big titles generating disappointing returns.

The stagnant sales are forcing the industry to examine how it markets and makes its films.

In theaters, smaller comedies such as ?Wedding Crashers? and ?The 40-Year-Old Virgin? turned healthier profits relative to their costs than big-budget action films. Sequels and remakes also could be on the way out.

?We're going to have to get more creative, and that may mean fewer? spinoffs, says Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney Pictures.
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VHS sales slip as DVD market matures 😕
 
In theaters, smaller comedies such as ?Wedding Crashers? and ?The 40-Year-Old Virgin? turned healthier profits relative to their costs than big-budget action films. Sequels and remakes also could be on the way out.
Click to expand...

Yay!
?We're going to have to get more creative, and that may mean fewer? spinoffs, says Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney Pictures.
Click to expand...

No sh1t, sherlock!
 
(shakes head)
It's because prices were set so low that people have adopted DVD so quickly.

When you can buy a DVD for the cost of a couple of rentals (with late fees) and for less than the cost of a movie ticket plus snacks, it becomes an easy sell.

If blu-ray and HD-DVD discs stay at $30 a disc for long, watch consumers ignore them in favor of $15 DVDs.
 
This is obviously the fault of piracy! /idiocy

But in all seriousness, the movie industry has been HORRIBLE lately. What's with all of these remakes and actions flicks? Specifically, WHAT'S WITH ALL OF THESE REMAKES?! A certain industry needs to start coming up with original, good ideas sooner or later. The only film I'm looking forward to is "Thank you for Smoking" which looks awesome, in case you haven't seen a trailer yet.

Movie Industry: Oh noes, there was only one movie last year to top $300 million! We're in deep $hit now
 
Well, there are plenty in the film industry who don't acknowledge that the quality of films has taken a steep dive. They go on believing that we'll watch whatever they put out, no matter the llack of quality.


Argh.
 
They said what we've all been thinking.
At least now they might recognise there's a problem with crap films and start making them better.

If only the RIAA would use their heads and realise this too, it's not pirates, its crap music that's putting people off buying CD's.
 
DVD's are pretty damn cheap. You can buy a movie for less than the price of the soundtrack CD to that same movie.
 
wow, what year was this article written in? 1999?
tell me a person who still owns an operating VHS VCR
 
Originally posted by: PokerGuy
Originally posted by: EKKC
wow, what year was this article written in? 1999?
tell me a person who still owns an operating VHS VCR
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I still have my VCR 🙂
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Ditto. They're perfect for kids (indestructible), plus that's the only way you can watch the original Star Wars movies.
 
Originally posted by: dainthomas
Originally posted by: PokerGuy
Originally posted by: EKKC
wow, what year was this article written in? 1999?
tell me a person who still owns an operating VHS VCR
Click to expand...
I still have my VCR 🙂
Click to expand...

Ditto. They're perfect for kids (indestructible), plus that's the only way you can watch the original Star Wars movies.
Click to expand...

Not like there is a DVD version, right?
 
Uhhh duh?

1.44" Floppy disks probably aren't selling like they did 10 years ago either.
 
Originally posted by: Ichigo
Originally posted by: dainthomas
Originally posted by: PokerGuy
Originally posted by: EKKC
wow, what year was this article written in? 1999?
tell me a person who still owns an operating VHS VCR
Click to expand...
I still have my VCR 🙂
Click to expand...

Ditto. They're perfect for kids (indestructible), plus that's the only way you can watch the original Star Wars movies.
Click to expand...

Not like there is a DVD version, right?
Click to expand...

Those are the Lucas "special" editions.
 
Some of you people are really dense. You're focusing on the title of the article. The title sucked. It didn't come close to expressing what the article was about. The point is that for the first time ever, OVERALL home video sales/rentals have dropped from year to year. DVDs + VHS. That's significant, and the reasons they listed in the articles could have several implications:
1. A different trend in movies, toward less expensive non-blockbusters, less rehashed old ideas. (this is good)
2. They may not make the mistake of lowering prices too quickly on HD-DVDs when they come out. I sure as heck wouldn't like to go back to the days of $30 DVDs. This is yet another reason that people will be slower to adopt HD-DVD than they were with DVD, so equipment costs will likely remain higher longer. (this is not really good, but I don't care because I don't plan on upgrading to HD-DVD anytime in the near future)
 
Originally posted by: Raduque
In theaters, smaller comedies such as ?Wedding Crashers? and ?The 40-Year-Old Virgin? turned healthier profits relative to their costs than big-budget action films. Sequels and remakes also could be on the way out.
Click to expand...

Yay!
?We're going to have to get more creative, and that may mean fewer? spinoffs, says Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney Pictures.
Click to expand...

No sh1t, sherlock!
Click to expand...


Who else was overjoyed to read this? Let's see if the Hollywood fat cats will actually take this to heart and start making good movies.
 
Originally posted by: Triumph
DVD's are pretty damn cheap. You can buy a movie for less than the price of the soundtrack CD to that same movie.
Click to expand...

Its not that DVD's are cheap, its that CD's (soundtracks included) are overpriced 🙂
 
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
(shakes head)
It's because prices were set so low that people have adopted DVD so quickly.

When you can buy a DVD for the cost of a couple of rentals (with late fees) and for less than the cost of a movie ticket plus snacks, it becomes an easy sell.

If blu-ray and HD-DVD discs stay at $30 a disc for long, watch consumers ignore them in favor of $15 DVDs.
Click to expand...

More like plan on shelling out $700-1000 for HDDVD and $1500-2000 for Blu-Ray DVD. This according to CES reports on http://www.doom9.org . AKA, * THAT!
 
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