âAliceâ Tops DVD Sales In First Week
Sales of Walt Disney Studiosâ âAlice In Wonderlandâ bested other new releases such as Universalâs âThe Wolfmanâ and Foxâs âBurn Notice: Season Threeâ for the week ended June 6, according to Rentrak. âAliceâ sold four times as many discs as âThe Wolfman,â according to fellow sales tracker Nielsen VideoScan (via Home Media Magazine). The Nielsen service adds that Blu-ray comprised 37% of Disneyâs total first-week âAliceâ sales.
Neither Rentrak nor VideoScan have released specific sales figures for the title. Analysts have been trying to measure the impact on sales from the movie’s availability via Redbox kiosks and Netflix’s disc rental; Disney claims there is no cannibalization. Rentrak (via PR Newswire)
Rentrak: Free Content, Subscription Services Dominate VOD
Rentrak: DVD, Blu-ray Rentals Up 4% In ‘09
U.S. consumer spending on DVD and Blu-ray rentals rose 4.1% to $6.5 billion in 2009, according to Rentrak’s Home Video Essentials, which collects point-of-sale data. During the year, kiosk revenue grew 94%, with the Redbox-dominated channel approaching $1 billion in revenue. Kiosk rentals were more than enough to offset a 3.2% decline in rentals from brick-and-mortar outlets such as Blockbuster and online sectors. By Variety
DVD Industry Down, But Not Downbeat
Although DVD sales have fallen steeply, rentals â spurred by a robust Netflix and Redbox kiosks â have risen sharply, with an 8.2% uptick in the first nine months of 2009, according to Rentrak’s Home Video Essentials. Factor in dramatic gains in Blu-ray Disc sales and digital delivery, and consumer consumption of home entertainment might be at an all-time high. ”It’s been a roller coaster of a year, but consumer demand for content is as strong as we’ve seen it,” says Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video. By The Hollywood Reporter (via ABC News)
âGran Torinoâ Tops 2009 VOD Transactions
The Clint Eastwood movie has generated nearly six million VOD transactions worldwide and $30 million in consumer spending, according to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Rentrak. By Home Media Magazine
Disc Rentals Surge
Year-to-date spending on DVD and Blu-ray rentals is up 8.2% over 2008, to $5 billion, according to Rentrak. Fueling the growth are kiosks, the further establishment of the Blu-ray channel, and the economy. By Variety









