Video Product Sales Picture Perfect For The Month Of July

If video sales for July and the year-to-date are any indication for what is to come, the rest of the year should be stellar. Manufacturers of video hardware products experienced solid sales during the month of July. Total shipments of video products outpaced figures for the same period last year by 22 percent, according to the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA). In the year-to-date picture, unit sales are just under 30 million as compared to 25 million in 1998, a 20 percent increase. Growth occurred across all categories of video products during the month and year-to-date periods. Color television sales grew 3 percent over last year's figures during July and 11.6 million units have been shipped so far this year. Sales of television sets measuring 30 inches and larger increased 15 percent to 240,000 units in July and sales of projection televisions have risen 13 percent since January to 560,000 units. Shipments of TV/VCR combinations jumped 37 percent during the month and are 44 percent higher than last year at 2.3 million units. Both the VCR and camcorder categories have progressed with double-digit growth since January with 11.2 million units and 2.5 million units respectively. DVD continued to increase its market penetration with more than 1.6 million units being sold through July as compared to just over 360,000 units in 1998. As the fall holiday shipping season approaches, all of this activity can be seen as a clear indicator for how the picture will be completed for 1999 video sales. 1999 is certain to be a good year for manufacturers of video products.