Abstract
About this report
Films play a central role in the leisure experience for most people at least some of the time, spanning cinema, TV movie subscriptions, DVD sales and rentals and, more recently, streaming and downloading via the internet. But how are the different sub-sectors performing and what are the key trends in film viewing?
Late 2008 and the first half of 2009 was characterised by the flooding onto the market of cheap DVDs in the wake of the collapse of Entertainment UK, supplier of Woolworths. These supplies are forecast to run out in late 2009. Cinema has performed well in 2009, with the usual mix of summer blockbusters and the plethora of 3D movies on the big screen driving box office admissions.
The take-up of digital TV continues to buck the recession and therefore access to movie channels. The high street rental market is struggling with new delivery methods, however postal rental companies, such as LoveFilm, are becoming hugely popular.
Blu-ray technology is becoming increasingly popular, albeit from a small base, and with further deflation in hardware prices, Christmas 2009 is expected to be the period when it comes into its own.
This report looks at the extent to which consumers are adopting new technologies and methods to obtain and watch films, whether that be illegally or legally, and the impact of new hardware, such as TVs and DVD players, on the market.
Main issues
- What’s the most popular format for watching films?
- How many people are streaming and downloading films?
- How is the pre-recorded DVD/video market performing, and how successful has Blu-ray been?
- Why is the DVD/video rental market declining fast?
- How has the recession affected people’s film viewing habits?
- How successful have postal rental companies been and why?
- What effect did the demise of Woolworth’s, Zavvi and Entertainment UK have on the pre-recorded DVD market?
- To what extent are kids watching films at the cinema, at home or even on their iPods?
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