DVD Midyear Player Sales Reach 20 Million Milestone; Software Shipments Surpass
Last Year by Two and a Half
Times
Business/Entertainment Editors
LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 23, 2001--DVD hardware and
software sales continued on a strong upward curve in the first six
months of 2001.
In the first half of the year, more than 5 million DVD players
were shipped to retail, bringing the total units shipped since the
format's launch to 20.4 million. This represents an increase of nearly
70 percent over the same period last year.
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DVD-VIDEO HARDWARE SHIPMENTS (in millions)
Quarter 2001 2000
1st Quarter 2.7 1.4
2nd Quarter 2.5 1.7
HALF-YEARLY TOTAL 5.2 3.1
Figures compiled by the DVD Entertainment Group
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DVD continues to clearly outpace the introduction of other home
entertainment products, reaching the critical milestone of 20 million
units shipped in just over four years. CD players took twice the time
to reach this benchmark, while VCRs took three times as long to reach
the 20 million unit level.
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HARDWARE COMPARISON:
YEARS TO REACH 20 MILLION PLAYERS SHIPPED
Format Years
VCR 12 Years
CD 8 Years
DVD 4 Years
According to figures from CEA and DEG
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According to figures compiled by the DEG based on data from the
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), retailers and manufacturers,
hardware players sold through to U.S. consumers have reached nearly
19.5 million units.
The DEG predicts that this growth will continue and estimates that
the number of players shipped since introduction will be approximately
30 million by the end of this year.
"In this year's soft retail environment, DVD is the shining
light," said Emiel N. Petrone, chairman, DVD Entertainment Group and
executive vice president, Philips Entertainment Group, Worldwide. "DVD
has reached a critical milestone and is poised to be in one-fourth of
all U.S. homes by the end of the year."
There are now more than 125 DVD player models marketed under 50
different consumer electronics brands. DVD players are available at
practically all consumer electronics retailers and have become the
focal point of the home theater category. There are also a wide
variety of DVD products available, including portables,
DVD-Video/Audio combination units and car players.
Software Shipments Continue to Increase
According to figures compiled by Ernst & Young on behalf of the
DVD Entertainment Group, more than 80 million DVD movies and music
video titles shipped in the second quarter of 2001, nearly two and a
half times the number of units shipped in the same quarter last year.
Since the launch of the format in 1997, software shipments have
exceeded 460 million units, according to the DVD Entertainment Group.
"As evidenced by continued record-level sales, DVD has built on
its strength at retail," said Robert Chapek, president, Buena Vista
Home Entertainment and board member, DVD Entertainment Group. "We
anticipate this growth will continue in the second half of the year
with an unprecedented wave of releases for the fourth quarter,
including timeless film classics and new blockbuster hits."
There are currently more than 10,000 DVD movies and music video
titles available.
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DVD-VIDEO SOFTWARE SHIPMENTS BY QUARTER (in millions)
Quarter 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997
1st Quarter 69.2 29.0 11.1 3.3 N/A
2nd Quarter 81.7 33.2 13.9 4.1 N/A
3rd Quarter N/A 42.7 29.0 5.9 2.3
4th Quarter N/A 77.5 44.0 11.8 3.2
YEARLY TOTAL 150.9 182.4 98.0 25.1 5.5
(a/o 6/30/01)
TOTAL SHIPMENTS 461.9
(since launch --
North America)
Figures compiled by Ernst & Young
on behalf of the DVD Entertainment Group |
