According to DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, U.S. consumer spending on home entertainment during 2018 reached an estimated $23.3 billion, a new record. During CES, DEG revealed that subscription streaming and “transactional video-on-demand” (TVOD) boosted the amount spent, which was up 11.5 percent from 2017. DEG noted that the numbers are still preliminary and that final numbers will be revealed in early February. The biggest growth came from subscription streaming mainly via Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu. Continue reading U.S. Home Entertainment Spending Peaks at $23.3B in 2018

Comcast inked deals with Universal Pictures (which it owns), Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment for “movie extras” to accompany those studios’ film titles. The cable company, which will offer a free sample of the enhanced extras during the 10 days leading up to Christmas, says it is working on adding more studios and movies in the coming year. With the extra content, Comcast hopes to better compete with other digital movie providers, including Apple, which added extra content two years ago. Continue reading Comcast Signs Deals with Four Studios to Offer Movie Extras

Consumer spending on home entertainment was up 3.8 percent to $4.2 billion in Q3, according to DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group. “Leading the charge was subscription streaming, with sales up 23.9 percent,” reports TWICE. “Electronic sell-through followed with a 9.8 percent gain, while VOD trailed in third place among digital formats with a 4.8 percent increase.” Packaged media took a hit, with combined Blu-ray and DVD sales dropping 8.7 percent, while storefront, kiosk and subscription rentals declined 17.8 percent. DEG notes that 85 percent of U.S. homes now have a 1080p TV, and sales of 4K TVs are approaching 10 million units. Continue reading DEG Reports Increase in U.S. Home Entertainment Spending

Consumers spent 4 percent more on movies, other content on discs and digital during Q2 2016 compared to the same period last year. According to DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, disc sales increased 3 percent to $1.2 billion, including a 35 percent jump in Blu-ray Disc sales. Digital HD jumped 8.7 percent to $466 million. “Total consumer spending on home entertainment purchases is estimated at $1.67 billion for the three-month period that ended June 30, a healthy increase of 4.5 percent from $1.59 billion in the same period last year,” reports Variety. Ultra HD Blu-ray, which launched in March, could be a contributing factor. Continue reading After Consecutive Quarters of Decline, Disc Sales On Upswing

The Entertainment Merchant’s Association is offering ETC members a 50 percent discount on registration to its Digital Media Pipeline conference, taking place October 14 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. This year’s event — which runs $198 with the discount — will focus on the delivery of digital entertainment, including electronic sell-through, transactional VOD, subscription VOD and ad-supported VOD. Studio execs, digital retailers and service and tech providers will discuss the latest trends in online entertainment. To take advantage of EMA’s offer, visit the Non-Member Registration page and enter Discount Code 904. Continue reading ETC Members Offered Major Discount on Digital Media Pipeline

The Entertainment Merchant’s Association is offering ETC members a 50 percent discount on registration to its Digital Media Pipeline conference, taking place October 14 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. This year’s event — which runs $198 with the discount — will focus on the delivery of digital entertainment, including electronic sell-through, transactional VOD, subscription VOD and ad-supported VOD. Studio execs, digital retailers and service and tech providers will discuss the latest trends in online entertainment. To take advantage of EMA’s offer, visit the Non-Member Registration page and enter Discount Code 904. Continue reading ETC Members Offered Major Discount on Digital Media Pipeline

According to DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, U.S. consumer spending for Q3 2014 was an estimated $3.92 billion, down 1.2 percent from the same quarter last year. Consumer spending on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs combined was down 8 percent in the quarter, while electronic sell-through grew 26 percent. Transaction VOD was down almost 7 percent; however, spending on subscription VOD, such as Netflix streaming, saw an increase of more than 26 percent for the first nine months of the year. Continue reading DEG Numbers Point to SVOD Growth, Physical Disc Decline

According to a KPMG study, Hollywood is now offering more content through legal digital venues than ever before. As of the end of 2013, 94 percent of the 808 top films analyzed by KPMG were available legally for U.S. consumers through online VOD services, while 85 percent of the 724 most popular and critically acclaimed TV shows were also available. In related news, the amount of Netflix streaming video has grown 350 percent in the last 10 quarters, and now averages 93.2 minutes per subscriber daily. Continue reading Study: More Top Movies and TV Shows Available Legally Online