 | DVD VIDEO GROWTH CONTINUES DURING FIRST QUARTER 1999 LOS ANGELES - April 5, 1999 - Continuing the trend of last year's explosive fourth quarter sales, DVD Video enjoyed excellent growth during first quarter 1999. More than 360,000 players were shipped to retailers through March 26, according to figures compiled by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA). The DVD Video Group projects that an additional 30,000 units were shipped during the last week in March, bringing the quarter's total shipment to 390,000. As a further boost to the format, the DVD Video Group estimates that there are approximately 1.6 million players installed in consumer homes to date. Based on DVD's strong performance in the first quarter, the installed base is expected to reach 3.3 million by year end 1999. From 1997 to 1998, hardware manufacturers shipped 1.4 million units and the Group projects that hardware shipments will exceed two million units in 1999, underscoring DVD's success as the fastest growing new packaged media format in history. Software is also enjoying growing success. According to projections from 15 software member companies, the Group estimates that 10 million discs were sold during first quarter 1999, demonstrating consumers' insatiable appetite for DVD-based entertainment. Since the format's launch, studios and music labels have shipped nearly 30 million units, according to figures compiled by the Group using reports from VideoScan, which tracks approximately 70 percent of the retail market. Disc sales are expected to remain strong throughout the year, as witnessed by the more than 200 new titles being released each month. Currently, there are more than 2,500 titles available and the Group projects that by the end of 1999 there will be 4,500 available for rental and sell through. "These impressive shipment numbers for first quarter 1999 indicate the overwhelming consumer demand for this exciting format," said Emiel N. Petrone, Chairman of the DVD Video Group and Executive Vice President of Philips Entertainment Group, a unit of Philips Electronics. "These numbers would have been even more impressive if the industry had not been affected by hardware shortages during the critical holiday selling season." The DVD Video Group includes seven of the leading consumer electronics manufacturers whose products represent more than 90 percent of the players in the market. The Group's figures are based on member company shipment numbers and are updated on a regular basis. This announcement is the first of a series that the Group will distribute following each quarter. The DVD Video Group is a Los Angeles-based, industry-funded nonprofit corporation that exists expressly to promote consumer awareness of the benefits of DVD Video and to provide updated information to the media and the retail trade about DVD Video players, movies and music videos. Regular members of the DVD Video Group are Artisan Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Columbia TriStar Home Video, DreamWorks Home Entertainment, Image Entertainment Inc., MGM Home Entertainment, New Line Home Video, Inc., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, Paramount Home Video, Philips Consumer Electronics Company, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., PolyGram Video, Simitar Entertainment, Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Music/Sony Wonder, Thomson Consumer Electronics, Toshiba America Consumer Products, Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, Warner Home Video and Yamaha Electronics Corporation. Associate members are Alpha Enterprises, Americ Disc, Cinram, CMC Magnetics, Crest National, Crush Digital, Digital Video Compression Center, Disc Graphics, Inc., JVC Disc America, Nimbus CD International, Inc., Panasonic Disc Services Corporation, Pioneer Video Manufacturing, Inc., Sony Disc Manufacturing, Sony Pictures DVD Center, Technicolor and Warner Media Services. Consumers can reach the DVD Video Group at (310) 967-2940 or through its web site at www.dvdvideogroup.com.
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