Multi Million NZ DVD Market Sales Set To Double

Thursday, December 4

Multi Million Dollar NZ Dvd Market Sales Set To Double

Retail sales of DVDs in New Zealand this year is expected to reach $NZ 100 million, more than doubling the 2002 total.

The rapid growth of DVD player purchases alongside strong back catalogue activity is fuelling the expected sales record says Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment National Sales and Marketing Manager Keith Simnor.

“There are significant trends emerging - these and the DVD release of box-office blockbuster titles like Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Terminator III: Rise of the Machines, Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers, The Matrix Reloaded, and Whale Rider before Christmas is seeing an unprecedented 2003 sales boom.

“DVDs allow viewers a more intimate movie experience,” says Simnor.

By the year’s end it is expected that approximately 47 per cent of all New Zealand homes will be capable of playing DVDs.

Sony NZ Ltd Senior Product Manager Erin May says approximately 120,000 DVD players will be sold into the New Zealand market in 2003, bringing the cumulative total of all DVD players in New Zealand homes to approximately 370,000 by January 2004.

“As more and more Kiwis recognise the benefits of DVD viewing DVD players are becoming a regular household appliance,” she says.

The ongoing sales growth of PlayStation 2 and other DVD compatible gaming consoles also supplements the growth of DVD player sales.

Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment NZ Steve Dykes says there will be approximately 250,000 DVD compatible gaming consoles in Kiwi homes by the end of 2003.

“The capacity for gaming consoles to play DVDs is now a prerequisite for console purchasers,” he says.

Major New Zealand DVD wholesalers include Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, Roadshow, Warner Brothers, and Universal Pictures.

ENDS

About Columbia TriStar/Sony Pictures Entertainment

Columbia TriStar is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures Entertainment's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, digital content creation, post production and distribution, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment technologies and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries worldwide. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at www.spe.sony.com.

ACADEMY AWARD® AND OSCAR® ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS OF THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES.

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