Low awareness of DVD by consumers. This
means there is lots of room to grow sales.........................
Yankee Group Study Finds Low Awareness for DVD
BOSTON, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite ample publicity surrounding this
year's launch of DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) hardware and software, a new
survey from research firm the Yankee Group suggests that consumer awareness of
the new format remains surprisingly low.
Only 28 percent of the more than 1,900 U.S. households surveyed by the
Yankee Group were familiar with DVD, a new optical storage format that can be
used to distribute movies, PC software and other types of data. Among
consumers who had heard about DVD, about 13 percent said they were very or
somewhat likely to purchase a DVD player within the next 12 months
(see table).
Consumer Awareness and Purchase Intentions for DVD
% of Households
% of Total Households Aware of DVD
Have You Ever Heard of DVD? 28.3 ---
How Likely Are You to Buy a DVD Player?
Very Likely 0.5 1.8
Somewhat Likely 3.1 11.1
Total 3.6 12.9
"Raising DVD's profile in the marketplace should be a top priority for all
of the hardware and software vendors backing the format," suggests Yankee
Group Program Manager James Penhune. "Purchase intentions are fairly high
among those households who are aware of DVD, but consumers who haven't heard
of the product can't possibly buy it."
DVD movie players and titles have been available in the U.S. since March,
while PCs equipped with DVD-ROM drives began shipping during the third
quarter. Nevertheless, "DVD is competing for the consumer's attention with a
host of other new 'convergence' products that are available now or on the
drawing board," notes Penhune. "Our research shows higher levels of awareness
for Digital TV, for example, which is not expected to reach the market for at
least a year."
Additional research, analysis and forecasts for the new format are
included in DVD: A Format Under Fire, a new report from the Yankee Group's
Media and Entertainment Strategies service. The report also evaluates DVD's
potential as a home PC product, and considers the effect that Divx, a new
pay-per-view variant of DVD, will have on consumer adoption.
The Yankee Group Background Information
The Yankee Group was rated as the top research firm in overall credibility
in a recent Information Week survey. The company's Media and Entertainment
Strategies practice examines the tradeoffs that businesses and consumers must
make as traditional forms of media are joined by new products, services, and
applications.
SOURCE Yankee Group
/CONTACT: Joelle Snow of the Yankee Group, 617-956-5000/
/Web site: yankeegroup.com |
