DVD Software Achieves Record Shipments In First Quarter 2003

More Than 43 Million U.S. Households Own A DVD Player

30-Apr-03

The home entertainment industry enjoyed another record quarter, shipping 231.7 million DVD titles to retail in the first three months of 2003, a 93 percent increase over shipments in the first quarter of last year. According to figures compiled by Ernst & Young on behalf of the DVD Entertainment Group, the total number of units shipped in North America has reached nearly 1.6 billion since launch.""Consumers are purchasing unprecedented numbers of DVDs,"" said Bob Chapek, President, Buena Vista Home Entertainment and President, DVD Entertainment Group. ""This, in combination with a dramatically increasing base of DVD households, ensures future record-smashing performance of the format over the next several years.""In addition to movies, consumer enthusiasm for the DVD format has translated into explosive growth in the variety of new titles available. Sales of episodic television on DVD have experienced nearly 123 percent growth over the first quarter last year, according to Nielsen VideoScan. In addition, music, fitness, documentary, and special interest DVD sales have more than doubled in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year, demonstrating the format's growth beyond theatrical blockbusters and family programming. There are nearly 23,000 DVD titles currently available from all genres.More Than 60 Million DVD Players Sold In The U.S.According to figures compiled by the DVD Entertainment Group based on data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), retailers, and manufacturers, more than 4.4 million DVD players were sold to consumers in the first three months of 2003, a 24 percent increase over the same period last year. Nearly 60.9 million DVD players have sold since launch, bringing the number of DVD households to more than 43 million (adjusting for households with more than one player).""DVD players continue to electrify the consumer electronics space,"" said Jerry Barbera, Vice President, JVC America and co-chair, DEG Music on DVD committee. ""With a variety of innovations, such as portables, car players, DVD recorders, and VCR/TV combination products, the latest models offer the end-user an expanded array of choices. These advancements are why DVD players continue to be the centerpiece of the digital entertainment experience and the catalyst for the home theatre purchase.""There are now more than 250 DVD player models marketed under 60 different consumer electronics brands.For more information about the DVD Entertainment Group, visit www.dvdinformation.com.

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