OTHER PLATFORMS BOOSTING GROWTH OF MULTIPLE DVD HOMES—STUDY
DVD-player installed base was 41.7 million U.S. households as of June, just 6 years after format’s rollout. But figure is misleading and actually higher, owing to homes with multiple devices capable of DVD playback. So contends preliminary report from research firm Centris released Fri. Moreover, group said growth in DVD household penetration was coming from other DVD- enabled platforms such as PCs, videogame consoles and portables, in addition to standalone DVD set-tops.
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Report said that for first 5 years since dedicated players hit street in April 1997, focus largely had been on installed base of those set-tops. Most-recent Centris monthly report in early June said 41.7 million households had standalone DVD player and 25% of those owned multiple DVD console players. Meanwhile, ranks are being swelled by other devices that play DVDs, which aren’t always included in industry reports on DVD shipments. For example, CEA figures (see State of Industry report, this issue) don’t include mobile DVD players, DVD computer drives, videogame consoles or DVD players sold as part of shelf or home theater system. “As the rate of growth in console sales slows -- sales do continue as the price drops and multiplayer households increase -- expansion of the installed base is coming from other platforms, which the studios simply cannot ignore,” said Jerilyn Kessel, Centris co-founder.
Specifically, other platforms are DVD-ROM drives in PCs, DVD-enabled videogame consoles such as Sony’s Playstation 2 (PS2) and Microsoft’s XBox and more recent surge of portable and automotive DVD players. “Growing ownership of these devices expands the DVD console installed base by 45%, to what we refer to as the ‘DVD-enabled’ installed base of 60.3 million households,” Kessel said.
Among other statistics in report, Centris found 16% of all households had DVD console only and no other DVD devices, 7% had PC with DVD-ROM only, 5.4% had DVD-enabled videogame system only and 2.5% had only portable DVD player. Survey gave insight into DVD viewing on PCs, saying “DVD-ROM-only households really do watch DVDs on their PCs. In fact, about 800,000 rent at least one DVD each month and about 900,000 purchase at least one DVD each month.”
As for multiple DVD player homes, Centris said largest pairing of devices was standalone set-top player and DVD-ROM in 8.1% of all households, followed by standalone and videogame at 5.1%. Centris research also said homes with standalone and DVD- ROM players were most active in the software market. It said PS2 owners were 3-4 times more likely to put DVD in their game console than were X-Box owners.
Centris said its daily Omnibus survey had extensive battery of DVD related questions involving hardware and usage activity. Much of data have been tracked since inception of format. Company also conducts continuing, periodic tracking of awareness and purchase intent for DVD consoles, DVD-ROM and, recently, DVD recorders. Proprietary inserts for clients have included interest in, usage of and satisfaction with title-specific DVD special features, title purchase intent, advertising awareness, purchase outlet, price paid for title, brand of DVD player owned, etc. Company said that next month it would publish 100-page study “A Definitive History of Consumer Adoption of DVD” covering 5 years of trended installed base and activity data, segment profiles and attitudinal information. Study, based on more than 200,000 consumer interviews, is to be available after Tues. to general public as well as Centris’s clients -- www.centris.com.